The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-07

d. Inc rate OCner- property Is taxed,
the roads would pay annually a tax Of
over $2.3OO,OOO, or about double what
they paid last year
The reports of the railroads for last
year show that their expenses de-
creased about per cent, while the re-
ceipts increased over $4,000, Goo"
Mr.. Dougles compared the rates on
corn in Iowa-its chief eerial product
with the rates on wheat in this state,
showing that there was higher rate
on wheat in Minnesota than on corn
in Iowa.
Representative Schmidt, of Duluth,
was the first speaker at the opening of
the afternoon session, and he opened
the ball for the opposition. He felt
hOnored, he said, at the remarks which
had come to him in effect that he would
be found lined up against the bill. A
close investigation of the provisions of
the proposed measure, had convinced
him that the people should not pass the
bill which would be a detriment to the
commonwealth. The only argument to
be discerned in Mr.. Douglas speech, he
said, was that the rates on coal, wheat
and other commodities, were too high,
and were in fact higher than those in
other states. To this argument Mr..
Schmidt said he had only to point out
that the figures submitted by the rep
resentatives Of railroads showing Min
neighboring states, had not been disput-
ed i'll any instance. The coal rates in
Minnesota, he maintained, were lower
for the most part than in any state in
the country. Mr.. Schmidt knows some
thing of the coal carrying business at
the head of the lakes and quoted COM
paratiVe rates in favor of Duluth and
West Superior, and gave reasons for
this state Of affairs. Much had been
said about the alleged coercion of &c.,
000 railroad employees, who had signed
protests against the passage of the
Douglas bill. Mr.. Schmidt had known
much of these men, and believed that
the same spirit of Independence, which
characterized their work was respon-
sible for the attitude they occupied;
viz, that the employing companies
could not stand any material reduction
in their revenue without reducing i'll
turn the wages Of their employees.
Mr.. jacobson for the friends of the
bill, arraigned Mr.. Schmidt for his Pc
sition that the figures Of the railroad
attorneys had not been disputed. They
had been effectively contradicted, he
thought, and their quotation by the
Duluth man was but part of an incOn-
sistent argument, which first told the
house that if the bill was passed the
roads would go into the hands of re-
ceiverS, and then in more independent
vein, that even if the bill became a
law the roads could not be made to
suffer the reduction. The statement Of
the Duluth man, that freight rates in
this state had been materially reduced
during the last decade Mr.. Jacobson
denied in toto, and said the report of
the state railroad and warehouse COM
mission would SubStantiate the fact
Mr.. Jacobson reviewed the rate stu
alton much in the same way as it was
gone over in the hearings on the sub
ject, and in conclusion, pointed out that
the people Of the West and Northwest,
had not the machinery to bring con-
certed action to bear for needed reduc-
ton in freight rates.
Mr.. Dahl, after castigating the men,
Der from st. Louis, Mr. Schmidt, for his
position on the bill from the start, gave
it as his opinion that it was the fixed
determination of the railroad commit
tee to give the bill a definite burial.
The statement of Mr.. Jacobson that the
bill would transfer from the railroads
to the people of the state, the sum of
81 600 or $1,000, was enough for him
for one reason, at all events,
to favor the measure. In spite of any
opinions to the contrary, he felt when
the supreme court had split upon the
question: he was entitled to think the
| state Legislature had it in it's province
to fix reasonable railroad rates.
Judge Littleton took up the cudgels
| in defense of the railroad companies as
| against any attempt to fundamentally
reduce their tariffs. This question Of
! railroad rates, the judge said, was a
Yexed problem, and had been since the
establishment of the American CONT
nent. There entered into the matter,
the question of the cost of constitute
ton, running and equipment, the mat
ter Of crop conditions, not for one or
two years, but for not less than four
years. Actions looking to the fixing
of rates for the future must be based
on part and present conditions, and no
legislator was in any sense qualified
to pass upon the matter of rates. I'm
satisfactory attempts in the past, had
! resulted in the birth of first the rail
way, and later the railroad and ware
house commission. These bodies, to
which had been delegated the power to
investigate and then order rates fixed,
could by virtue of this power, get to
the bottom of such questions, and We're
thus in a position to stand between the
| rights of the people and the railroad
companies. 1t was not possible, he said,
| to fix a distance tariff" for all roads
| in the state, which would stand the
! test of the courts. This was true for
! the reason that conditions differed SO
materially on the various roads. Judge
! Littleton said he belonged to no cor
! pcration, but stood for the equal rights
! of all parties.
| Messrs. Goss of Winona. and Cray
| of Hennepin, took opposite sides of the
/ question, the former stating briefly that
the move on foot to adjust rates would
even have the effect of raising rates in
Southern Minnesota in spite of which,
! he favored the bill The salaries of
railroad employees, had, he said, been
reduced many times, with no Douglas
| bill as d bugbear. Mr. Cray was OPP
| posed to the bill, he denied that the
! legislature had the right arbitrarily to
fix rates, and pointed out that nobody
would be helped. even if the bill were
| passed
Mr.. Donnel1y traced the history Of
! the project to secure a reduction in
grain rates, from the old Grange move
ment. when, after the start was made,
the railroads packed the legislature
and secured the repeal of the only law
ever passed by the legislature to fix
! rates and a substitute for which the
! Douglas measure was intended. The
state was now right back to that time
and in the same position as before that
law was passed and repealed Mr..
! Donnelly believed the railroad charges
should shrink along with the value of
the property of the state.
Mr. Barta sent up for reading
portion of story on the subject of the
| cost of material labor and transporta-
ton now and twenty years ago, show
| ing a big margin in favor of the cutting
down of transportation expenses. I'm
/ remuneratiVe railroad rates, it was set
| forth, were curse to those who most
loudly clamored for the reduction
Mr. Douglas at this point took oc-
casion to answer, at some length, state
ments made by other members on his
CDpeoh