Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-09-16

you must determine whether or no
STEPS shall be taken TO limit and contro
transportation charges ! am not be
lever in pablo ownership of railroads
although the time may come. unless
something shall be done to correct tht
| injustice that exists today between tht
public service corporations and the peo
pie, when sentiment will be fostereC
| that will demand and consumate public
ownership of these great public utilities
believe the better way is state control
such as other states have adopted. It ii
entirely too expensive, and fraught
with too much danger to allow the
present state of things TO continue
Your interests demand that you con
cern yourselves about these matters aud
settle them, because with you rests the
settlement. The Legislature, unless uu-
duly influenced through corporation
agency, as it has been in the past, must
be relied upon to enact laws that will
correct the present unfair conditions.
This the legislature will do if you so di.
rect them. 1t is doubtful If it would
ever be done unless it is made an issue
before the voters and the voters give
plain, unmistakable instructions to their
representatives that it shall be done.
Unless given specific instructions By
their Constituencies, legislators are not
likely to enact laws adverse to the in
terests or powers of these great public
service corporations that are so thor
oughly organized to resist such legisla-
ton Every effort made. so far along
these lines, has been successfully re-
sjsGed Iy the corporation interests. No
longer ago than last winter bill to fix
minimum rates passed one branch of
the legislature only TO be defeated in
the other by this same influence A
railroad commission bill met the same
fate through the same influence. You
will readily see that Ii is no simple task
TO bring this issue to a termination in
accordance with fairness and Justice to
all the parties concerned.
However much you may increase the
taxes of the railroads, unless there ID
some limit placed upon their power to
make transportation charges they can
easily set at naught any effort to in
crease their taxes by simply increasing
their rates or rearranging their sched-
ules so as to insure greater revenue.
You can easily see the necessity of sup.
plementing the legislation Of the last
session with law such as | haye out
lined today, and which will limit trans.
portstion charges, You will not find ii
easy TO accomplish this. result The in
terests that will be affected are organ
lied into the most powerful politica
machine that the world has ever known.
Ii is unlimited in resources. It buys
and commands the best talent that the
country contains. Newspaper writers
lawyers, men prominent in politics in
and out of official station, representa-
tives that invade every avenue of politi
cal activity And they accomplish re-
suits that will snIre to their employers
interests. They commence at the eau
Gus. and work through the convention
into legislatures an6 all official stations.
Their influence is insidious, powerful
and continuous. Their methods are
such as the exigeneies demand. Moth
ing short of an overwhelming public
sentiment, based upon a Just cause, car
accomplish the defeat of those powerful
agencies. There are reforms proposed
in orr government that viii aid mater.
tally in accomplishing the desired result
The enactment Of primary election
law whereby the people make their owr
nominations by direct vote will give
stirnulous TO the correction of all these
things