Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-19
city, spoke about that enterprise. He
said in part:
He

city, spoke about that enterprise. He
said in part:
THE amount of the stoca subscriptions,
contributions and bond authorization is
nearly six millions of dollars, which sum
rpresents about one-half of the grand
total which it is expected will finally be
expended. The official invitations issued
by the general government through the
state department have already brought
formal and official acceptances from
Canada. Mexico. all of the Central Amer
lean states, and all but four of the South
American countries. from which accept
ances are also expected
lie then stated the requisites for a Suc-
cessful outcome of an undertaking such
as has been projected.
I'm the matter Of attractions he claimed
that quality, not quantity will be the
motto.
The Hon Chas. A. Prouty. of the Inter-
state Commerce commission. spoke about
Freight Rates." He said in part:
"rhe overshadowing problem for the
United States, presented in various
phases and under various names, is the
adjustment. so to speak. of the relations
between wealth and commonwealth; how
to put upon tn one hand, some limit to
the greed of riches, and to protect upon
the other hand, the due rights of props
erty
In the solution of this problem no
question is more important than that Of
railway transportation. for this question
underlies all others.
The freight rate ordains where cities
shall be built and communities main
tanned
'Th freight rate goes still further It
determines not only who shall do busi-
ness and where business shall be done,
but the lines upon which our social devel-
Opment shall proceed
''Ihp uniform nf orf
condition OF rates is t. build up the city
at the expense Of the country for the rea-
son that the rate. the rebate, the cOnces-
sion Of every sort, Is always in favor Of
the city here competition is sharp and
against the country where competition is
less and viii the result that industries OF
all kinds are being forced out Of the
country and out of the smaller towns and
into the great centers Of activity.
"Manifestly, transportation by railway
is thing of such transcendent import
ance to the public At large that it should
be subject to public regulation. But what
warrant is there for this? AS a. member
of senate committee recently said:
Why should commission fix the price
Of railway transportation more than the
price of wool or of live stock?
Transportation BY railway. whether it
be called service or a commodity is in
it's nature quasi public The railway is in
u
not so it never could have been con-
structed and could not be operated When
the Legislature confers upon the railway
these extraordinary powers. giving it the
right to appropriate to its use the prop
erty Of private individuals against their
will 1t may determine the conditions un-
der which it's railroad when constructed
shall be operated. 1t may fix the rates OF
fare. say that those rates shall be the
same to all individuals, and that they
shall be reasonably adjusted between all
communities.
"This may be done upon the further.
ground that when any service comes to
be rendered under such circumstances as
to be in manner a public service. the
public may in self protection regulate it's
exercise.
Our railways today amount in value to
one-tenth of all the property of the Unit
ed States. They collect and disburse a
revenue far beyond that of the govern
ment of the United States. AS an indus
try they are second only to agriculture
the mother of all industries. There can
be no such thing AS national prosperity if
our railways are not reasonably prosper
Gus and any unfair Or unjust treatment
of them is a national calamity.
But in the making Of those rates the
public has an interest which must he
legitimately protected. Today the rail-
the public of the rate which it makes.
Some tribunal should be divided to which
the public can appeal and from which the
public can obtain relief.
Mr.. Tom L. Cannon of Missouri spoke
about "Populating the Great West say
ing in part:
In the majority of the trans Missis-
sippi states the land that is open to set
tlement to-day is of little value, owned
by cessons to individuals or remote from
transportation facilities This necessi-
tates the settler of the next fifty years
buying land at increased values, build
ing more railroads or in some way re-
claiming land that is to-day of little
value.
I'm the arid regions of the west the
river and the Pacific coast there are mill
lions of acres of land which great rail-
roads traverse not producing a penny of
income. The soil there will not yield
a crop. 1t is arid land, valueless even
for grazing purposes. II that land We're
made fit to cultivate. it would add to the
wealth of the United States an empire
as great as that added when the republic
of Texas Joined the sisterhood of states
and came into the union.
If the steps We're taken for the con-
structiOn of storage reservoirs by the fed
eral government for the reclamation OF
arid America, the next so years would
show ratio of increase in population far
greater in this section than during the
past SO years."