The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-05
THAT M'NEIL BILL
1T HAS RAISED A CONNECTION
AMONG THE STOCK YARDS
PEOPLE.
THEY SAY ITS PASSAGE NOW
WOULD DRIVE ALL THE PACKING
HOUSE FOLK FROM THE
STATE,
If NOT FROM THE NORTHWEST.
Gen. Flower and the Chairman of
the designating Committee
Are at Cross Purposes.
THEY SAY ITS PASSAGE NOW
If NOT FROM THE NORTHWEST.

The bill introduced in the house by
the special committee to investigate
charges of excessive prices for forage
made by the stockyards people to
stock shippers, has caused considerable
feeling, and it's passage through the
legislature promises to be anything
but smooth. The bill declares it IN
lawful for stockyards companies to
prevent shippers Of stock from bring
ing with them hay and grain to feed
to such stock while it is awaiting sale
at the yards
The committee had two or three
meetings when some of the officers Of
the local stockyards We're questioned
as to the charges, and as to a great
many other things such as the value Of
their property, stock, and their incomes
and expenses
A bill was drawn and introduced Just
before the time for introducing bills
had expired and from all accounts it
does not seem to have met with much
favor. At all events when Mr.. Mcneil
accompanied by Mr.. Bigelow another
member of the committee, went to
chaperonage Of Gen. Flower, that gen
tleman is said to have declared him
self quite freely to Mr.. Mcneil regard
ing the bill. Mr.. Mcneil gathered that
it was the generals opinion that he
(McNeiD had it in for him, and also
that the legislature had not authority
to regulate the affairs of companies in
the manner proposed.
Mr.. Mcneil has consulted the attor-
ney general and thinks it can. Gen.
Flowers position leads Mr.. Mcneil to
believe that it is necessary for the
committee and especially for him as
its chairman, not to weaken, but to
take the matter as far as possible with
IN reason. He will therefore obtain
figures on the assessed valuation Of
the stockyards, buildings, plant, etc.,
to show that the company has been
making money, and also will try to es-
tablish the point that the yardage and
forage charges are greatly i'll excess of
the other receipts and should not be
SO much He will make an effort to
have the bill held in the general Iegis-
latlon committee where it now is I'M
til the special committee can meet
again anu take IufC0er action,
Gen. Flower, who was detained quite
late by the high water at the stock
yards, seen by a reporter for the
G o b e, explains that he is opposed to
the bill on general principles; and says
II passed, it will have the effect Of driv-
ing the stockyard interests out Of the
Northwest. The general believes that
every member of the committee. which
questioned him, was perfectly fair, ex-
cept Mr.. Mcneil, and he made this
statement to Mcneil yesterday.
The chairman, says the general.
sought to draw out of the witnesses
everything adverse to the stockyards'
interests, and made no effort to develop
the investors side of the case at all.
Gen. Flower assumes that every bust
ness man in the legislature will agree
with him that these tactics are not fair.
Mr.. Mcneil brought out the state
ment that the stock of the Union
Stockyards company would probably
not bring 10 cents on the dollar. and
suaightway said that this shrunken
figure should be the basis upon which
returns were figured and not 81. the
original investment Gen. Flower con-
hiNtCAo ILLS III OpOSlIlOn llIJlS snort OF
preposterOus He has not, he declares
said the bill would make an uncon-
stltutlonal law, but alleges that if nut
IN effect the courts will have an op-
portunIty to pass upon the question.
Messrs. Mcneil and Bigelow were pre-
vented from making much Of an in
spectlon of the yards by the high
water.
The following dispatch comes to the
q b from Milwaukee: The State
Park Jockey club which holds a lease
OF the race track at the state fair park
has filed a claim for $48 600 against the
Wisconsin Agricultural society for the
value of the improvements made by
it at the park
At the annual meeting of the Agri-
cultural society in September, it was
stated by one of its officers that the
Jockey club people would deliver to the
society quitclaim deed formally
transferring all the improvements that
had been made or should thereafter be
made at the park by the club. The
state has also begun to foreclose a
mortgage it holds on the park and as
the claim of the state is a prior one tc
that of the jockey club, it is doubtful
If the latter will be able to realize any.
thing from its investment.
The jockey club is composed of New
Orleans and Chicago men, who expect
ed to meet with no obstacle in the way
of their conducting running races here
for number Of years.
In this connection it may be inter
estng to observe that the Twin City
Jockey club, occupying about the same
relative position, instead of suing the
state, has taken the more graceful way
of securing part of the money expend-
ed in the improvement of the state fail
erSSnds. Although between SIC, 900 and
100000 was laid out at Hamline. the
jockey club has asked relief in the
amount Of but $50, 900, the amount
agreed upon in the lease entered into
between the officers of the club and the
State Fair association
The week has been one slaughter of bill:
in both branches Of the legislature and OF
the total of 1.016 measures which have beer
introduced in the house of representatives
96S have been ruthlessly killed to date leav.
ing less than ESQ bills surviving. Of these
the house has passed 162, 56 of which hav,
been passed by the senate although some
Of them are awaiting concurrent seton OF
amendments. The senate was unkind enough
to kill six bills, and the indications are tina
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