The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-02-16
Arguments Before Joint Com.
mittee of the Legislature.
TURNER SPEAKS FOR FARMERS
Burleigh SAYS Railroads Are Not Pay.
ing Expenses Now.
III the RilI Passed, Wheat Would still
he Unprutisabic, and Wages of IsaiI-
road Fsayieycs Must Be Reduced.
Age OF Consent Rsll Killed.

Olympia, Feb i5.---Speeias,- Heinz
railfsSad rate bin Was not as strong a
fatg.e when the three big attorneys
who appesrSl before the Two coassaiS-
tees ~ the legislature today had essas-
pleted ihssr arguments oa the subject
as IL was when it was taken up Judge
Turner. rslsreseiaslng the graia growcrs
OF Eastern Washington. gave II go0l
support. but Attorneys BuFlefgs aud
Cotton gave 1; severe drabhsag.
Turner argued tsfst ri was necessary t0
the lie of the grain growers, The sxif-
ter claimed shaI IL meant the des;guc-
ton OF the farmer ard the rassxcad AZ
wei. and that IL adapted IT would be 50
unequal IN its scale as 20 require a stllk
lower cut tor all OF the shorter hauis
in the state. thews beng three datferens
IS rates N IL
The aa provides a maximum rate for
hauling grains in the state. Ii is =
graded scale OF rates. a change being
made each 100 miles. but provides shx6
the max mann rate in the state shah
not exceed 81 per ton.
Judge Turnvr. the defoasser Of tho
measure. was particularly eloquent. and
eISt&&SA sA&t A<eSESS OA aEAEBtNfsl. tt0
showed Why rates SHOULD be radueest 10
enable the wheat growsTs "a continue
in the wosk. A hong haul fram tha
grain fields of Eastern WashslGgten To
the Sound gave the railroads a rate uS
"a Of a cent per ton per mile. Shk-s
hauls increased this rate. He exhibited
sarsn sheets showing tarat many arr
tic.es. like ellis. scrgp iron. bar sfeel.
ftar -. ~. a.
canned goods brought for the haul frsagu
Chicago to Portland from Ia cent 10
over Id cent per mile per ton The
east hound tariff on wheat WAS less than
45-i0o OF a cent per ten per mile. and
on bar.ey and malt from Portland tu
Chicago Il was l-s cent per ton per nstie.
He admitted that there was an advaa>
tage on the long over the 'shoat haul.
but he Thought a difference of la 10 -
cent per ton per mile was sufficient.
Judge TursRr said the railroads had
not been dealing fairiy with the agri-
cultural interests II the state. and it
was the duty or the legislature 10 see
that they were fair in the future. The
| bill. he said. had been drawn carefully.
and the rate was believed to be reasons
able. II was all tho traffic would bear.
| Farmers must have this or cease to TN
| the sol. Even IL the rate paid no more
| than the cost OF carF.age, the cost OF tho
labor and the fttel. he Thought II should
be allowed when the product would
stand no more. II. this bill were passed
| It meant fregn 10 cents more per
bushe. for the farmer. and even then
there would be no profit in raising this
class Of agricultural products lie
charged that the financial condition OF
the railroads was due To reckless exc
travagance. Regarding the legal as
pests or the case. he said three things
had been established by the courts:
| First. railroads could charge only resa@
soFasahie rates for Transporting goods
| over their lines: second, the legislature
| could fix rates. which the companies
must comply With: third. when the leg-
| tslature fixes rates which raise a ques-
| tion whether they are reasonable or sifr-
| reasonable. the courts could cxAmlna
into them and determine. In this bill q
/ tribunal wsis fixed for the railroad to gn
| 10 to do this
| Andrew II. Ruriesgh, Of Seattle. rep.
| resenting tle Northern Pacific railroad.
| replied. lie said 4, had been admitted
/ that even II tias bill were passed wheat
| raising would not be prufisa BILE 10 tia
| producer. In fact Il was not q question
| of making wheat raising profitable Ia
! the state OF Washington. but "A question
1 OF dividing the loss with the transpoFta-
| ton companies. He asked the cotpnsag-
/ tee to look into the transportation In
tsrestg of the state. He admitted iiszar
] there were many very low rates In force,
/ but Il could not be demonstrated that
| any road made dollar of prof. on that
| business Competitive water rates wsra
| necessary ON articles that could bs
brought by SHIPS. in order to- get other
/ traIic This caused the inland cities In
complain os discrimination. and there
/ was probably cause for 1t, bt+ II was
/ not fr0aa the choice OF the transporta-
| ton companies BuTteagh looked tiltu
! SoT.thern Pacific finances a little.
1 Throwing aside the ssB. .0oo, Geo of pre-
| ferred stock and all the common stock,
| there was a funded debt alone OF si53.~
| eco 00e. on which interest had 10 be paid.
| There mag have been extravaganza. bue
| IL was not the fault Of the man WIN
| had pat his money into the road. and
! he had the same right 10 projections aa
the r.YAn wfso 1s about t. put his money
| into wheat The company paid taxes In
| Washington amounting - s2as st6 last
! year On the main and branch liiiea
maintained I'm the state the total in-
come In the last fiscal year was 1872 =
ITO The loss fn operating MAS ss2s. .7s9.
so" he ssaid, ''the ras3Tuads are bos-
ing az much money a. the farmers la
any state" AlsoSfs f.00e persons were
employed by the railroads. in the state.
or about 2a.e90 pe<yple were dependent
on the road for support. A big rtsitic-
ton I'm the earning ability os the roaf
meant -rfr7y ore sfitng-a reduction oe
the wages Of The employees. 1T ~ for
vos, n, determine he said. what de-
r~ree OF loss from raising wheat you
want ptit on the workfngme1 eusT'cyed
BY the rxka3.
" w. c~T-5r. cf Porti1nsl. represents
ing the o. II. a. n. G.. said all the rates
| ur,gtf1 by Judge Turner were water
,.e,.nr,asstssn rates and were ordered by
the interstate commerce commission.
au *ba other rates were higher ari
there was rot n Just comparison Hs
criticised the rates fixed In the ficlus
bill. The passenger rate proposed, II
cents was unjust. and he gave sesns
excellent illustrations OF the Differences
su passenger Incomes here ard in fhs
East. Under the present rate she ~
| come per train rer mile vzT iess tfaals
r1e-.hIrst what IL Was between New
/ York and phfsadeiysia- Then theirs
were tire. different 81 freight rates IN