The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-30

this state shall consist of men possess
ing the ability to realize the full extent
of the power they possess, 1.-THE courage
to use it for the best interests Of the
public, and the sound judgment to d.
rect them in such use. In my judgment
this is the most important question
with reference to the reciprocal rights
of our large railroad corporations and
the public.
"Are the rates charged to the people
Of this state reasonable? Are the rates
upon iron ore reasonable? Do the Iron
Range railroads, subsidized. as they
have been by portions of the public do
main, fulfill their duties tas common
carriers when they sosmanipulate their
business methods that a deposit of iron
ore upon the planet Mars would be as
beneficial to the independent mine
owner as it is when within four-ho
journey of where we now stand?
REPUBLICANS RAISE FALSE
ISSUE TO COVER PARTY SINS.
Therefore, I feel that, whatever
merit there may be In the institution of
the so-called merger suits, the man.
ayers of the Republican party in this
campaign, the officers Of the party
which created the trusts, the party
which has. frittered away in grants to
these same railroads so much Of the
public domain and so much of the
property which belonged to the school
children of this state, the party of spe-
cial protection for special interests the
party of subsidies and Imperialism
that the managers of this party, say,
shall not be permitted to raise false
issue in this campaign and escape in
the confusion.
my opinion Is that the state must
exercise a continually increasing con-
troll To make such control efficacious.
additional power must be given to the
interstate commerce commission, so
that the same regulations may be en-
forced in regard to interstate traffic
that we now exercise in regard to traf-
fic within the state. The record of the
present railway commission is one Of
1nefficiency and subSerViency to special
interests. The reelection Of the pres
ent administration will be setting the
peoples seal Of approval upon such in
efficiency. The election of the Demo-
cratic state ticket will mean that the
people are ready to exercise the power
they possess to regulate rates.
DEMOCRATIC RECORD SHOWS
WHAT MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED.
1.-THE record of the Democratic rail-
road and warehouse tconnnssion, of
which Messrs. Ringdal and Knox were
members and the controlling spirits
from 1900 to 1901, just twelve months,
Indicates what can be accomplished by
honest, energetic and courageous men
in that position. One sorder issued by
them, applying to 172 stations in twen-
ty-tWo counties in the southwestern
portion of the state, saved the farmers
of those counties 100000 in freight
rates on the crop of 1900 alone.
They also brought a suit to prevent
the consolidation of the st. Paul & Du-
luth railway with the Northern Pacific
system, under the statute prohibiting
the consolidation of parallel and COM
peting lines. That suit was settled by
the state without trial, upon the offer
of the Northern Pacific railway to give
a contract binding itself to forever
maintain and operate the present line
Of the st. Paul. & Duluth with it's
terminals at Duluth, as at the time the
suit was brought and that in all cases
involving the question of rates the st.
Paul & Duluth railroad should be treat
ed and considered by the railroad COM
mission as a separate and distinct en-
THY.
'"This contract was signed on behalf
of the state by the governor, attorney
general and the railroad and warehouse
commission, and on behalf of the
4NOA IAkCA II dS41lC Wy IAC OI1CCI0 Ol IIldL
corporation, and was submitted to the
legislature Of 1901 for it's approval or
rejection. The securing of this con-
tract marks one Of the most important
achievements in the history of railway
control in this state. The st. Paul &
Duluth is the only line of .communica-
ton between the Twin Cities and the
head of the lakes which is wholly a
state road, and subject. under this con-
tract, to the jurisdiction and control Of
the state railroad commission.
DEMOCRATIC EFFICIENCY VS..
REPUBLICAN INEFFlcIENcY.
"The Importance of this will be read
lily realized when we take into consid-
GRAFTON the fact that much of the grain
raised in the southern part of the state
goes east via Duluth and the Great
Lakes, and nearly all our coal comes to
Duluth to be distributed to all points
of the state, and that this road is the
sole connecting link between naviga-
ton and the other railroad systems of
the state, subject to state control. The
recent decision Of the supreme court of
the United States, holding that the
state railroad commission has the right
to fix joint rates, emphasizes the i'm
portance of the commissions action.
IF the states interests had not been
conserved by the vigilance of the DEM
ocratic administration in the above ac-
ton, then we would now be helpless,
because all that the Northern Pacific
would have had to do to escape juris-
diction would have been to move it's
terminals to West Superior, thus de-
priving the state of the right to fix
reasonable, joint rates3ahd the city of
Duluth Of the business connected with
the docks and terminals of this great
system.
What has the present state railroad
commission done to make this decision
of the supreme COURT of the United
States effective on the 3scoal rates in the
state? y
RAILROADS. RIGHTS ARE AS
SACRED AS THE INDIVIDUALS.
"The right of the state to compel the
establishment of joint rates is not only
important in itself, but it is important
because it shows how much can be ac-
conlpliShed in the way of regulating
common carriers when an honest and
Intelligent effort in that direction is
made. A joint rate, may be over two or
more roads and means a fixed and sin.
gle charge for the entire distance over
which the commodity Isl carried. BY
this means lower rate Is not only OBJ.
tanned, but expensive transfer charges
can be avoided and each carrier is
Kept from practicing extOrtion. In ad-'
dition to all this, the doctrine is be-
coming more and more firmly recog-
nized that railroads, as common carri-
ers, are conducting great public high
ways, thus performing a governmental
function, and are subject to the fullest
regulation by the state which is neces-
sary for the public good, subject, of
course, to the constitutional protection
which all enjoy, that their property
shall not be conf1scated or used for
public purposes without just compen-
sation.
Nov. 8, 1900, the railroad and ware