The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-21
HALE's GOOD POINT
Plenty Of Law In North Dakota to
Handle the Merger.
HE QUOTES THE CONSTITUTION
Executive Authorities Are Getting
Out of Touch With the
People.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal
Devils Lake, N. D., Jan. 21.-State
Senator Hale has some decided views
anent the. merger. In a recent interview
he said:
l believe it was Charles Dickens that makes
one OF his characters say "the law Is bass, -
and it appears that in the opinion Of some
people of North Dakota this Is true provided
the person that runs counter to it is a good
fellow.
The question of the practical consolidation
OF the Great Northern and Northern Pacific
railways is not to be judged by the great
ness, the goodness, or, according to Budd
Reeve the divinity Of it's principal promoter.
but at this time, by its legality.
The laws of North Dakota are just as plain
and emphatic as the laws Of Minnesota, for
bidding the consolidation of parallel and COM
peting lines. $50
tits to be presumed that the constitutional
convention knew what it was about when IT
adopted section al: 'No railroad corpora
ton shall consolidate its stock, property OF
franchises with any other railroad corpora
ton owning parallel or competing line.
Any attempt to evade the provisions of this
section by any railroad corporation by lease
or otherwise, shall work FORFEITURE of its
charter" n
Also section 14s: 'Any combination between
individual corporations, associations, OF
either, having for its object or OBJECT the
controlling of the price Of any product Of the
soil or any article of manufacture or COM
MERGE or the cost OF. exchange or transporta-
ton, is prohibited and hereby declared un-
lawful and against policy; and any and all
franchises heretofore granted or extended
whenever the owner or owners there
of violate this article shall be deemed an
nulled and become void. .
In line with the above, section 1854 revised
codes, after providing for the. consolidation
or leasing of non-competing lines, says: But
no railroad corporation shall consolidate with
or lease or purchase or In any way become
owner of or control any other railroad cor
poration or any stock franchises. rights or
property thereof which owns or controls a
parallel or competing line"
do not believe that any political party
would desire to go before the people pledged
to repeal these laws or with the record OF
their non enforcement
Competition may not be the life of trade
as was once thought, but it is the salvation
Of the consumer. The effects of monopoly
may be judged in a small way from what the
people are enduring from the oil monopoly
at the present time is likely to be Just as
rotten and more costly from railroad mon
opoly.
few years ago the whole judicial system
of the United States in North Dakota was
brought into play-trains were filled with
marshals, troops were hurried In from neigh
boring states and injunctions were issued
galore, to prevent few men who felt them
selves unjustly treated in the matter OF wages
from violating the law by interfering with
the rights of the railroad corporations. Would
it not re proper thing just at this time to
use little Of the same means to prevent the
rights of the people as expressed IN their
constitution and statutes from being trampled
upon by the railway corporations?
Section 1856 Of the revised codes provides
an ample appropriation to pay all legal ex-
penserbrass bands need not be used-but
there is a grand opportunity in the present
situation for the executive authorities OF our
state to show they are in touch with the
people, and that the constitution and statutes
of our state are not "hass !"