Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-10-08

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compared with the rates of intermed-
late points But what has the com
petition between these roads done for
North Dakota? A few years ago when
competition was in full swing, If YOU
wanted TO ship a car of -four from
North Dakota to the Pacific Coast you
were charged the Minneapolis rate
with the local rate from North Dakota
to Minneapolis added. If you wanted
to ship car from the Pacific Coast
to a North Dakota point you were
charged the through rate to Minnea-
polls with the local rate from Mime
apolis to Dakota added. You remem-
Der the Hawolth case that went UP
from Fargo number of years ago.
He shipped car of sugar over one of
these roads. the rate was the same on
each, from San Francisco to Fargo.
He was charged the through rate to
Minneapolis plus the local rate from
Minneapolis to Fargo He took the
case to the Interstate commerce com
mission and last year got a decision
in his favor, years after he went out
OF business. 1t is little better now,
not as the result Of competition. If
you go or ship west to the coast from
North Dakota you are charged the
Minneapolis schedule although we are
one-third of the way. Every inves-
tigation made by congress, the report
OF the Cullom committee of the SEN
ate. the report of the industrial COM
mission, the reports of the inter state
commerce commission. have all
brought out this fact that the tendency
of competition has been to reduce
through rates at the expense of local
or intermediate rates; to favor COM
peting communities as against nom
competing: the big shipper as against
the small. In a state like ours, where
there are NO competing terminals,
where but a very small part of the
territory is served by more than one
road, we are inevitably brought to the
conclusion that competition is very
inadequate and irregular regulator"
The governor then explained at
length the gradual development of
laws to govern railroads. He ex-
planned the conditions which led to the
passage of the Interstate commerce
act, and the Determinations which
were practiced by the roads, in grant
ing rebates, and eliminating COMPETE
tion by community of interest In
closing he said:
The question of consolidation is
more a question of railroad economy.
If the railroads of the northwest can
be more cheaply operated. if the pub
lie can be given better facilities of con-
nection and communication in it's var
ious parts by consolidation it should
result to the benefit of the public and
NOT to its injury. The danger lies
not in consolidation but in the made
quacy of our present laws to meet pres
ent conditions. The remedy, it seems
been pointed out by the reports of the
Cullom committee of the senate. the
industrial commission and the inter-
state commerce commission. 1t is
the remedy advocated by President
Roosevelt; control by national legis-
lation. There may be some doubt
and difference of opinion as to what
extent the government can exercise
control over private corporations. but
in the case of railways or any eorpo-
ration exercising a public function
the right of governmental control has
been fully settled Congress has ade-
quate power. The decisions of the
courts on our present laws. the inves-
legations of commissions have pointed
out the defects and the abuses of the
present laws and means of control and
sufficiently marked out the course for
eHectlve legislation Require that
rates be as sure and certain to every.
man as the postal rate Require that
every act of the road be subjected to-
the view of an examiner representing
the interests of the public Require
that all corporations doing an inter-
state commerce business incorporate
under national Incorporation act and
that every dollar of stock represent a
dollar invested. Require that the
business of public carriers be separ-
ated from all private business. Amend
the Interstate commerce act to wipe
out the abuses pracriced under it.
Provide for its active and rigid en-
forcement. and you have done much
to solve the problem of transportation.
With its solution YOU have solved
other problems
The condition in the anthracite
coal fields is primarily railway trans
portation question. Nearly all the
mines are owned and operated by the
railways. They don't make any