The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-07-10
amendment Of any law or laws

acted in this state or which anAS
be hereafter organized, shall, in Is~ q
their real estate. roads. rolling stock A43
other personal property pay int
eentage therein IN l Mentioned of the
shall, before the same shall take
effect and be in force, be submitted
to vote of the people of the state ana
be adopted and ratified by majority of
the electors Of the state voting at the,
ELECTION at which the same shall be sub
Under existing laws the railroad COM
panies OF this state pay into the state
cent Of their gross earnings. After thor
ough discussion and mature deliberatioAv
the legislature passed the act above re-
ing law shall be SO amended that the rail-
road companies of this state shall pay.
into Int the state treasury in lieu of dire0
ings instead of per cent as now ez-
acted.
The reason for the enactment was the.
belief that the railroad companies under
the per cent gross earnings law were
not paying their fair share toward the
maintenance of the state; in other words.
that under the gross earnings system con-
siderably less was received from the RAN.
road companies than would be received n
their properties were subjected to dired2
urge the people of our state to care
fully and fairly consider the question
presented, WHICH Is, Snau the rallrOo0
companies of our state pay, in lieu Of d.
rect taxation, per cent of their gross
earnings instead of 8 per cent, as pro-
vided in the existing laws.
The modern tendency is that revenues
should be raised for the state otherwise
than by, direct levy on real estate and
carry long step in that direction might
be taken. 1t would then be possible To-
place upon our statute books many tAxt
measures of vast benefit to the people.
The matter is of so much Importance to
| the welfare of the, state that / earnestly
urge every voter to bear in mind on cleo
ton day the obligation of voting for the
proposed amendments.
1 will not close without calling your att.
| tention to question of the very greatest
Importance to the people of our state !
refer to the threatened consolidation OF
the Northern Pacific and Great Northern
Railway companies. To this end the
sey was organized to acquire control
| ling amount of the stock of said railroad
| companies ia exchange for its own stock.
and it was through this company that
| the unity of management was to be ef-
| fected
The matter was deemed of such vital
| importance that immediate action was
| taken to prevent the consolidation Of
these companies With that object in
view Attorney General Douglas was re-
! quested to bring suit in the name of the
| state to prevent the proposed consoltda-
! ton. That such consolidation is against
| the law is shown by reference to our
statutes. tSee sections PIG. 271O., The
best interests Of our people not only re-
quire but demand free, open and I'M
| restricted competition for the transporta-
| ton of the products Of our farms, fac
| idea in view that our legislature years
ago passed laws prohibiting in any way
! the consolidation of parallel and COM
| These laws have not only been held to be-
constitutional by the supreme court OF
the United States, but they also declare
| to bring this suit was not entered int
| with any spirit of hostility toward rail-
road companies. Our state has dealt
! liberally with them and has decided to the
| various railroad companies more than
| 10,500,000 acres of land, or more than 10
under cultivation by our entire agrical.
many other privileges it is but just, to
demand that these companies should obey
| our laws. Minnesota, granted these LANDS
and privileges to secure the BLESSINGS g
| these parallel and competing lines We're
! obtained upon the implied understanding
that they would be operated inS O.
| Guiding Alaska, is about 100000 square
| miles. The area of the states traversed
| by the Northern Pacific and Great North
/ ern railroads is about 100000 square
i miles, or one-fifth the area of the Unite4
States. 1t is only necessary to study
4 these figures to see the great Importance
| of this question. Undoubtedly a very
| large portion of the commerce Of the
world will be transferred from the Ate
| lantic to the Pacific ocean. The trade Ok
| the Orient is in its infancy. The poss1bIt-
ties can scarcely be estimated. I believe
that that section of the globe will be sup
| piled from the products of the Northwest
| in fact, we have begun to reap the ben
| efits of the Far Eastern trade as a mar
| ket for our surplus wheat and flour. This
question was deemed of so much import
4 ing that the fight would be one of gigantic
proportions and that our state would need
| all the help that could be secured COM
| ference of governors and attorneys gen
eral was called to meet at Helena, Mont.
1.-The result of that conference was, mar
mony throughout, and resolutions were
| unanimously passed in opposition to said
/ threatened consolidation, and promising
support in our endeavors to prevent II
| All realized that the destruction of com
petition that had so benefited these states
| in the past would be most injurious.
| The supreme court of the United States
for certain reasons refused jurisdiction In
! the case brought by the State of Mime
/ sofa, but this did not discourage the At
| torney General and his associate counsel
and suit was commenced in the state
courts.
/ do not believe that corporation or
| ganized in New Jersey can be laWfuly
| used to violate the laws of the sovereign
| State of Minnesota and thwart the Wlll
of the people SO plainly expressed in hel
i statutes,
1 Owing to objections not involving. the
-.
the supreme court as was the State OF
Washington: that state has a case nov
/ pending similar to ours. in the United
| States supreme court, and Attorney Gen
eral Douglas has been retained as asso-
ciate counsel.
| The attempt of the Northern Securities
company to control these properties Is
not only in violation of the laws of this
j state and the other states in which thes
operate. but the United States as well
Attorney General Knox is daeted as say
s | ing;
Some time ago the president request
measure. and I have recently given hin
one to the effect that in my judg nent i
violates the provisions of the Sherman
act of 1890. Whereupon he directed thai
suitable action should be brought to have
1.-The question finally judicially decided"
/ congratulate the people of our, state
of the Northwest and OF the entire coun
try, upon the fact that we have in the
4 presidential chair man who fearlessly q
endeavoring to execute the laws He !.
as brave in peace as he was heroic II
war. and for his courageous course VI
should pledge him our active and earnest
support.
It is our determination to press thil
action until finally decided by the courl
of highest jurisdiction. the supreme couT,
of the United States
In conclusion take pleasure in stating
that every state officer. and every depart
| ment~of the state government, has ren
dered me most valuable aid during thl
past two years, and whatever success hal
attended this administration is due large
ly to their loyal support and eficien
help.
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