The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-10-28


freight rates."
Notwithstanding the republicans
we're in the majority in both branches
OF the legislature in 1892, no effort was
made to cary out the party pledge to
give said railroad commission power
to establish local passenger aud freight
rates."
Feeling secure in their majoritres in
this state in 1894 they modified their
platform somewhat and onlv proposed
that the rail- way com mission shall be
digni6ed with sufficient authority to
properly protect 1.-THE people) against
unjust determinations by transporta-
ton companies" The republican cam
paign orators and newspapers however,
referred to this plank as q pledge tnat
would give the people. railroad legis!a-
tion regulating traffic rates and when
the votes were counted it was found
they had an overwhelming majority in
both branches OF the legislature. On
the converting Of the legislative session
in January, 1895, Representative
Wheeler of Sioux Falls and Senator
Foote of Brule county both introduced
what "a known as the "Wheeler rail-
road bills" which was in substance tho
Iowa railroad law. These bills were in
troduced the first and fourth day Of the
session and we're read and referred to
the railroad committees in both bodies,
Senator Kennedy, the present United
States marshal being chairman of the
senate railroad committee and j. B.
Dickover being chairman of the COM
mittee in the house. Neither Of the
bills ever saw daylight again so far As
the legislative body Al . whole was con.
cerued, but both committees reported
progress" on them until near the
close Of the session, whom the reform
forces of tho house attempted to force
q report from the committee, but be-
ing in the minority we're unable to
secure action on the bills. It was dur.
ing this memorable legislature that
Senator Petigrew wired the members
fl ON Washington to keep their party
pledges and pass q maximum passenger |
and freight railroad law, but the re.
publican members signed IN insulting |
answering to him ITO attend to bis own
business and W (they) will attend to
ours"
Thus the republicans, had again be.
trayed t~heSpeople of this state by and
through the manipulations of the rail
road lobby who We're sufficiently in con-
troll Of the party't o prevent its keeping
its pledges.
This among other broken pledges Of
the party in the state, and the absolute
change of front in the national repub-
lican party on the financial aud other !
issues had caused q sloughing of OF
many republicans from the party and
when it convened at Aberdeen in 1896
the party machine was thoroughly
alarmed and thoy decided they must
speak u plainly in their platform up
on the railroad question. Therefore
they said: 'We favor q legislative
enactment fixing a reasonable maxi
mum tariff Of passenger and freight
rates." hoping ty this unequivocal
pledge and the large use OF corporation
money to be able to again carry the
state, when they would have again bro
ken their pledges or passed some sort
Of u railroad law that would have been
ineffective or useless. When the polls
had closed in November, 1896, it was
found the party of broken pledge, the
republican party, was in the minority
and therefore not able to control the
enactment of state laws. They how
ever, did attempt by every subterfuge
known to scheming politicians, backed
by the same republican railroad lobby,
to prevent the passage of a reasonable
maximum :aritf Of passenger aud
freight rates
The record of their votes in the sen
ate and house journals Of 1891 justifes
us in the assertion that thty did every
thing in their power to prevent the
passage Of the Palmer railroad law. in
this present form. This bill was Senate
bill No. |. and it passed the senate on
the 10Th day of the session and was re.
ferred to the house railroad committee
and on the 23rd day of the session u ma
jority Of the house committee. being
populists, returned the bill to the house
with the recommendation that it pass
without any change being made.
M. S. Sheldon Of Sanborn county. a
republican, offered a minority report.
Recommending that the bill hereto an
nexed be substituted therefor" The
substitute offered by Sheldon WAS the
Minnesota railroad law, which gives no
authority to railroad commissioners to
regulate rates, and this was the law the
nor., hlsn,~ u,rns.1 -, viva fha oSfS.
zens Of this state after pledging in