The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-19
Friday, October 10, 1900.
be inferred that the railroad and
warehouse commission have always
had that power.

warehouse COMMISSION nave always
had that power.
Now say that all these new laws, and
another law passed in 1897, gave them ad-
ditional power that they did not have
before. 1t gave them the privilege of
commencing an action without any one
making a complaint. They took advan-
Tage of that law and commenced an action
themselves, but you do mot hear them
mentioning anything about that new law.
They want to convey the idea to the peo-
pie of this state that they are doing
something that the old commission would
not do. They do not tell you that with
in the last two or three years these new
laws have been placed on the Statute
book by Republicans, because we found
1t necessary to give the commission more
power than they had had before, and
therefore now they are better equipped.
Railroad Commission Negligent of
Duty.
Now, there are a great many other
things in regard to the state administra-
ton that should be gone into in detail,
and if they were gone into they would
not show up half as we'll now as they
pretended they would two years ago,
Just before election. Let us see whether
or nut Lind's administration in the rail-
road and warehouse commission has been
all that it ought to be. Two years ago
next spring made complaint to the rail-
road and warehouse commission concern
ing the wheat rates on this particular
road, and 1 want to read it to you.
':St. Paul, Feb. 81, 1899.
ai md ION
Paul, Mimi.
Gentlemen: Having examined closely
into the cost and earnings of the Min
neapolis s, st. Louis Railroad company
of this state, we have become thoroughly
convinced that said railroad is charging
excessive and exorbitant freight rates,
and this being specially true as to grain
rates. We demand a reduction of at
least two cents a bushel on all distances
of 100 miles or over. Such a reduction
can be made and yet earn a reasonable
net profit on the actual amount of capital
invested in said road. We further find
that said road. instead of reducing freight
rates as the patrons Of this road had the
moral and legal right to expect, taking
the earnings into consideration, they have
instead largely increased the same with
in the last eighteen months. We there
fore demand that you take such action
as will speedily remedy this unequal and
unjust condition of affairs. Respectfully
yours,
y. F. Jacobson,
H. Hauser''
Now, under the law, any citizen of this
state has a right to make a complaint to
this commission whenever he has any
grievance, and this complaint was made
more than twenty months ago; yet the
commission up to this time, from some
reason unknown to me. have not yet
taken one step toward prosecuting the
company named by Senator Hauser and
myself. 1 mention this simply to show
that the commission has not done as it
ought to have done. When I complained
in the Hanley Falls 'Y'' case to the COM
mission, of the failure of the COMPANY
to construct a "Y" down there. inside
of one month from the time made the
complaint the railroad and warehouse
commission took action and prosecuted
that case as far as they could go with
1t. But this complaint has laid in the
office ofthe commission for twenty months
before it has summoned a single witness
TO prove or disprove the truth of the
complaint. So I say. when you look into
the administration of the different depart
ments. it is not all as you thought it
would be two years ago. before election.
In a good many departments it has sim
ply been a failure. So I say again, Is
there any reason why we should con-
tinue in power these officials? Is there
any reason when we vote the rest of the
Republican ticket. for singing out the
governor? Has he done anything to de-
serve the support OF any Republican?
Van SAINT.
Now, who is our candidate, for gov
ernor and what record has he made?
He was a member of the legislature in
1895. He was speaker of the house of
Representatives in 1895. I served with
him for two years, so that know some
ching about the man. know him as we'll
as any man can in that length of time.
and wan to say to you tonight
that there never was a truer, nobler,
cleaner man ever placed on any ticket
for governor of this state. He is not the
ablest man in the world but he is "a
good, clean, honest business, man, that
nobody needs to feel ashamed Of In
1891 the Democrats and the Peoples
party got hold of the legislature. 1t cost
that legislature $1630 to do the bust
ness Of the session. In 1893 it cost the
Republican legislature 1000: that
was under the administration of
Speaker Lee Under the administration
of Van SAINT, who was elected speaker in
1895, it cost the state $137, 900, or nearly
S27 600 less than under the democratic and
Peoples administration party administra-
ton. 1 cite this as an illustration of his
business capacity. want to say to you,
as fact that figures will demonstrate,
that under Van SAINTS administration, one
which he had more to do with than any
man in the legislature, the business of the
legislature was the most economical of
any administration for many years. When
people came there who wanted an office
and 1 want to say that there are hundreds
of them at every session-they are look
ing for soft jobs at IS per day-Mr Van
SAINT had the nerve and the backbone to
say: 1--WE don't need you" and he APP
piled the same business principles through
out. as he will in every department of the
state if he is elected It's governor. 1t don't
take an orator or good politician to
good, clean, honest business man like
Capt. Van SAINT
There are other subjects which I should