The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-05-12

THE RAILROADS TAKEN CARE OF.
The Minneapolis Journal of April %
published a very able review OF. the
work of the legislature which adjourned
the day before. The following extract
shows how impossible it was to pass any
law against the wishes of the great rail-
road corporations: --...---
The railroads haven't been so hard
pressed for a good many sessions as at this
one. All sorts of bills were presented,
asking for all sorts of things, some of
them good but the majority of them Of
doubtful value. Very few OF these bills
became laws, and to tell the truth the
public hasn't lost much in their defeat.
One of the best members of the house said
only the other day that II one-quarter
of the proposed railroad legislation had
been enacted every road in the state would
soon be embarrassed so far as it's business
In this state was concerned. The proposed
legislation has had decidedly Populistic
flavor. The most popular railroad bill, ana
the least harmful, was that which sought
to make the railroad and warehouse
commission elective. 1t passed the house
When the senators came to look at the
thing they found it was loaded. The Pop
uists' last campaign put this idea into
their platform. and spent a good part OF
their time before election, when they
weren't talking free silver. abusing the
present commission and its policy of al
legged friendliness to the railway corpora
tions. 1t was soon seen that 1t wouldn't
do from political standpoint to fall into
line with Populist theories. and so the bill
was defea ted. Really, 1t makes no difference
which way the commission Is chosen. If the
railway people can control a governor who
hos init
troll conventions which have the nominat-
ing power. and they have done it many
times in the Northwest Minnesota needn't
look farther than the Dakotas for proof
Of this assertion Once the commission was
elective in this state. and the change was
made for the very reason that it was
believed better men would be selected
through the governor than through poll
teal conventions.
The most popular railroad bills after
this one were the Douglas distance tariff
bill in the house and the Cole distance
tariff bill in the senate Both in their
main features were patterned after the
Iowa schedules In both houses much time
was given to the discussion. There was
an honest difference Of opinion to
whether this doubt helped to defeat both
measures. Another strong argument
against them was that the business all
over the state would have been almost
hopelessly demoraized had they become
laws
Following is a partial list of the defeated
railroad bills of the session, in ADDITION
to those already referred to- Providing
that Waitng-rOOms should be erected at
all points where trains stopped: providing
for a uniform two-cent passenger fare
everywhere over the state; providing that
bicycles should be carried baggage; reg
ulating the rate to be charged for the
carrying of iron ore:--the five-sixths jur~'
bill. which, it was aruged, would n
opened the flood gates to personal DANA
suits; providing that mileage books should
be good over all roads in the state, no
matter by what company issued: prOvid-
ing for p track scales at every point FROM
which 100, eco bushels of grains were shipped
last year; providing for a horizontal reduc-
ton Of 20 per cent in freight and passenger
tariffs; providing for the collection of rev.
enue from the through freight transporta-
ton companies which run their cars over
Minnesota roads; regulating service of pas
senger trains from southern Minnesota
points along the Milwaukee road so as
to give closer connections for the Twin
Cities; increasing the gross earnings tax
from per cent to 4 per cent
What is here said about the last ses-
sion is true of all past sessions during
the last twenty-five years.
There is no remedy but government
| ownership of railroads. The declara-
ton of the Omaha platform is being
confirmed every day, that, ''the people
must own the roads or the roads must
own the people,