The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-24
IRE THEY HELPLESS
FARMERS LEGISLATIVE COMMIT
TEE BELIEVES THE RAILROAD
COMMISSION IMPOTENT
TO REMEDY TRAFFIC EVILS.
THEY INSIST THAT THE MEMBERS
OF THE COMMISSION PRACTI
CALLY ADMIT 1T.
For the Abolition of the Present
System Or at Least Its Re-
modelling.

The legislative committee of the
Farmers Alliance and Industrial union
and the railway and warehouse COM
mission of Minnesota have reached the
parting of ways. The fault is not with
the railway commission. The granger
it is who, on this occasion, have de-
clared for a separate course. The COM
mittee was aggrieved; the commission
was apologize and explanatory. Neither
apologies TOR explanations went"
however; and so the committee, as one
Of its members said, decided to pass
the commission up.
The assurances of highest considera-
ton bestowed by the commission on the
committee after their first encounter
were followed up by the committees
filing with the commission a petition
which was in itself something of a
puzzle. That petition asked the rail-
way and warehouse commission to go
ahead on its own account and put it's
machinery in motion to give the farm
ers the relief they sought. The COM
mission stood aghast, and told the
grangers: Why, gentlemen, we can't
do anything. You must file a specific
complaint here, and we will summon
the attorneys for the railroads. and
they will call witnesses and you will
call witnesses, and we will have an
examination and decide the particular
case you bring before US. If we decide
in your favor. then, if the railroads
don't obey orders, we can go into court
and try to make them do so.'
To all this the committee replied in
substance:
Gentlemen, that's all right; but we
are not going into court. If we were,
we would not come to you to tell US
how to get in. We want you, YOUR
selves, to do something, if only for a
change You haven't done anything
for, 10! these many years-only draw
your salaries. This petition offers you
a chance. If you don't wish to avail
yourselves Of that chance, why we will
let 1t go at that. We are satisfied, if
you are"
1t was at this stage of the proceed
1ngS that the commission appears to
nave reached the conclusion that If
could not do anything anyway. 1t had
no jurisdiction, no power and, worst of
all. no funds. But Notwithstanding all
TINS, the committee was asked to make
there petition and there demands more
definite and certain. Whereupon the
committee appears to have broken
!oose for good. A majority of it's mem
bers have been in the city for three
days past and have been in consulta-
ton with their council. Mr.. J. Costello.
also a member of the committee Mr.
Costello, together with Mr.. P. H.
Rahilly, drafted the petition of the
frames. The latter gentleman was ap-
pointed subcommittee of one to visit
the commission and lay the views Of
his associates before that body This
he did Friday afternoon, explaining to
the commissioners that inasmuch as
they had aVoWed themselves incapabIe
of acting, having no power to act and
no FUNDS, If they had the power, the
committee had decided to put them to
no further trouble. They would seek
elsewhere. Acting for the farmers of
the state they had asked the commits
sion to put in force certain Iaws-es-
peclally that providing for the weigh
ing of the farmers grain at the time of
shlpment-and to make certain in
qulrles and to report the result to the
governor. The commission had de-
clared it could not do as requested. So
now the committee were left no re-
course but to appeal to the legislature.
This they would do, and they would
leave the responsibility for inaction in
the peoples representatives in office. ,"
All this Mr. Rahilly stated to the
commission with his usual force and
directness. He reported back to his
associates, the committee resolved yes
terday afternoon and it's members went
their several ways. This, however, Is
not the truth. The legislature and
the commission will hear from the COM
mittee again in short order
Seen at the office yesterday afternoon
Mr. Costello was asked by the
G o es representative just in what
lines the legislation would be framed
which the committee contemplated
Mr.. Costello said:
Il am sorry 1 cannot answer your
question specifically. 1t is not thought
well to do so just at this time. The
railroad and warehouse commission has
proclaimed its impotency, and we are
through in that quarter 1 may say to
you, however, that the railroad and
warehouse commission law is merely a
fake, as you newspaper men say It
is designed to throw the burden of &C
ton wholly on the individual citizen
who considers himself agrieved by the
railroads.. The commission is purely q
ministerial body. It has the power to
summon witnesses and all the rest of
it; and after, perhaps, months of use
less fOrmality, it may or may not ap-
peal to the courts, as it pleases. There
the same ground is gone all over in
the courts again, if the commission de-
cideS to have it so. And SO the endless
chain reYolves until everybody is dead
or disguised. The famous Stevenson
case is the grandest Illustration I can
offer of what the railroad and ware
house commission and the courts Of
Minnesota are unable and unwilling to
do-that is when they try real hard.
1.-The entire humbug must be wiped
out If the people are to have any relief
and a national administrative system
substituted. AS lawyer and editor ]
have given many years Of thought to
the general subject Of the relationship
of the carriers to the public; but I con-
fess that I had never dreamt what a
huge, costly and unmitigated humbue