Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-01-22

While it has been commonly under
stood that the railways of the country
have overridden law, and, in meas
ure, controlled legislation, it is doubt
full whether any considerable number
of the people of Wisconsin have until
very recently had any conception of
the enormity of the wrong which they
have suffered in discriminating rates
at the hands of railroads throughout
this commonwealth. In Wisconsin the
railroad companies fix freight charges
without any control, regulation, or
Limitation in any manner by the state.
Several tables are here presented and
the governor adds: Thus it will be
seen that for class the Iowa shippers
are favored to the extent of nearly 40
per cent. For two other classes the
difference amounts to over 40 per
cent, and is in no case less than %
per cent. When ali classes are includ-
ed the average discrimination against
Wisconsin as compared with Iowa is
80 40 per cent.
The comparisons with Illinois in one
table are limited to cattle, hogs, sheep,
grain, hard and soft coal and the dis
ordinations against Wisconsin are
81 21-100 per cent. in the rate on cat
tie, 81 40 on hogs and 10 $40 per
cent on sheep. The rate upon grain is
shown to be higher in Wisconsin than
in Illinois by 27 $40 per cent. Grain
includes barley, corn, oats and rye.
Upon hard and soft coal the compu-
tations show a discrimination against
Wisconsin, amounting to % $40 per
cent upon hard coal, and 33 ITO per
cent upon soft coal.
The tables will be scanned in vain
| for single station at which the trans
portation rate is not higher in Wiscon-
sin than for a corresponding distance
| for a like service in Iowa. The amount
| of the Overcharge in Wisconsin is pos
! itively startling, says the governor. In
no case is the rate less than Is per
cent. higher for Wisconsin than for
| Iowa. In several cases it is nearly 70
| per cent. higher, and the average is
| but fraction less than 40 per cent.
| higher. When it is remembered that
| the producers in Wisconsin, Iowa and
! Illinois must sell their products in the
same markets, and quality for quality
at the same prices, it is manifest that
| the people of Wisconsin are labOring
under a great disadvantage. The fig
ures establish the exact measure of in
| justice suffered by our people at the
hands of the railroads of Wisconsin.
Stated in plain language it means that
upon all kinds Of manufactured pro-
| ducts, upon merchandise and farm
products the shipper in Wisconsin
| pays from % to nearly 40 per cent.
| higher than the shipper in Iowa where
| transportation charges are controlled
| by a state railway commission. It
means that in comparison with ILL
nois, we pay in Wisconsin on cattle
hogs, sheep, grain, hard and soft coal
from 10 IL to 81 per cent. more than
the people of Illinois, who are protect
! ed from excessive transportation
charges by a state railway commits
sion. Now it can be taken as conclu-
sive thai the transportation charges in
Iowa and in Illinois are high enough
|
a reasonable profit upon the railroad
business in each of those states. Moth
| ing is more certain than that the rates
| for each of those states yield to the
railroad companies a reasonable net
return upon all their capital invested;
| otherwise, they would not operate
| their roads under that rate. If the
rate afforded them less that a reason
able profit, they would at once appeal
to the courts to increase the rate. 1t
is the settled law that neither the leg
| islature nor a railroad commission
clothed with power to fix rates can
compel railroads to accept less than a
reasonably profitable rate for all ser
vices as common carriers. Therefore,
by acquiescing in the commission rates
in Iowa and Illinois without appeal to
the courts, the railroad companies adj
nit the rate to be high enough in
| those states.
| Every dollar taken from the people
of Wisconsin in overcharges by the
railroad companies affects the values
of farms and factories, the profits of
merchandise, and the wages Of labor
| Why should Wisconsin have endured
| this great loss? 1t is because, and
only because, the railroads have con-
tinued to exercise such control as to
| defeat legislation in Wisconsin Great
| ing a commission to regulate trans
portation rates such as the legisla-
| lures of Iowa and Illinois have adopt
ed. Session after session such bills
| have been introduced only to die in
| committee or be overwhelmingly de-
feated in the legislature.
It has heretofore been urged in op-
position to the enactment Of rate
commission law for Wisconsin that il
would arrest all further construction
within the state, stop improvements
| injure manufacturing, prejudice agri-
cultural development, seriously harm
business interests, and generally re-
tard the progress Of the state. Iowa
has been held up as a warning exam
pie to deter other states from adopt
ing similar law. and it has been de-
clared that she has suffered through
all the years under rate law that has
greatly interfered with the growth of
her manufacturing interests. Yet dur
ing a period of twenty years the an
nual increase in the value of the cap
ital invested in agriculture and man
ufactures amounted to s32,5O0,000 for
Wisconsin and over S59,000,000 for
Iowa 1t should not be overlooked
that these are the actual increases