Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-22


ice as between railroad companies
and the people of the state. Members
of this legislature should not be mis-
led. The people of this state will not
be misled into any belief that there is
the remotest possibility of doing harm
to the railroad interests of this state,
or Of imposing upon them any injus-
tice whatever. much less any hard
ship. The establishment of railway
commission clothed with all the power
which this legislature can invest cali
not fix transportation charges at
rate so low that the railroad compa-
mics would be deprived of a reason.
able profit upon all of the capital
which they have invested, for the
courts would at once set aside any
rate fixed by railway commission
upon showing by the railroad COM
panies that the rate is unjust.
There are in Wisconsin today, as In
every state in the union where the
railroad companies are free to fix rates
at will, large numbers of individual
shippers and favored companies who
secure special rates and thereby build
UP great fortunes at the expense and
upon the failures of other rivals and
competitors in business. No more DO
tent cause exists today in the upbuild-
ing of trusts and combinations than
the tendency to centralize business in
the hands of few through favoritism
bestowed by the railroads. These spe-
cial concessions and rates to shippers
do not appear in the freight bills, but
are directly made through a system of
rebates. The remedy for this evil can
not be found in state legislation alone,
nor in independent congressional leg
islation, but it will come with that ELI.
largement of the powers of the inter
state commerce commission which will
secure to them authority to regulate
transportation rates with respect to
interstate commerce and the establish
ment of state commissions likewise
empowered to regulate transportation
charges with respect to state COM
merce.
The duty which confronts this leg
islature respecting this phase of rail.
road legislation is two-fold First, to
enact law creating a state railway
commission with full authority to act
in the premises. and second, to so adj
wise the representatives of Wisconsin
in the United States senate and house
of representatives by memorial, and
in such other way as may tend to inn
press them with this importance, that
the business interests of Wisconsin
demand that the oft-repeated appeal of
the interstate commerce commission,
supported as it has been by the mes
sages of the president, for authority
to regulate rates and prevent discrim-
nations should be promptly given to
the interstate commerce commission.
1t may be quite as we'll for us to be
admonished at this time that opposi-
ton to the establishment of commits
sion to regulate transportation rates
will not be limited to the corporation
and their lobby agents before the leg
islature. They will be able to summon
to their support every shipper in Wis
| consin who is, or who thinks he is, at
! or concession from the railroads, or
who has. or thinks he has, assurance
| which will give him exceptional rates
and advantages over his rivals and
competitors in business for the future.
The shippers will be able through or
ganized effort to make their influence
felt as a commanding one, but II Is
well for us to remember that we stand
here representing the interests of all
the people of Wisconsin, the thous-
ands of merchants and manufacturers
who are not receiving special rates
ard concessions, and the hundreds of
thousands of producers and small ship
pers who are being grossly wronged
in the millions Of dollars exacted from
them in excessive and exorbitant
transportation charges, year after
year. They are entitled to an equal
chance with the merchants and man,
ufacturers and farmers Of adjoining
states.
Primary Elections.
Concluding an exhaustive discussion
of the subject of the primary elections
the governor says:
Il submit that 1t is not for us to
determine what shall be the scope of
law to nominate candidates by direct
vote. This has been settled by the
people of Wisconsin, to whom the mat
ter has been referred again. They
have determined that all candidates
for state, legislative, congressional.
and county officers shall be nominated
at a primary election upon the same
day by direct vote unde: the Austral-
ian ballot
Mortgage Taxation.
Taxation in general is dwelt upon at
length. To the well directed admin
istration of the law creating the Office
of supervisor Of assessment and the
diligence of these county officials in
the field, may be largely attributed the
marked advance made, both in the
unifoi nifty and in the more complete
assessment Of the property of individu-
ais and private corporations taxable
under the law, says the governor.
Since the public interest was first