Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-01-21
Benefited Instead of Injured.

II Is here shown clearly that Iowa Is
rapidly forging ahead of Wisconsin III the
average increase in capital invested In
agricultural and manufacturing Industries.
The proof made by the statistics accords
with reason. Instead of being injured by
railway commission. the industries OF
Iowa are being greatly benefited. This
could not well be otherwise Iransporta-
ton charges are a tax upon production ana
the productive industries of any state must
suffer greatly when that state is subjected
o oppressive transportation rates In mar
ketlng the output of its industries. Thls
must always he so when shippers of one
state must sell their products in mar
ket In competition with shippers of other
states enjoying more favorable rates That
Is precisely the fortunate slinatloh OF iowa iowa
with a commission compelling reasonable
rates for her shippers. Ana by parity of
reasoning it Is Wisconsins misfortune that
she must beAu +he onerous burden of UNI
reasonable rates made for her at the pleas
ure of railroad managers. 1t would be
strange indeed IL those engaged in manu-
featuring and agriculture in Iowa would
not be able to set aside an increasing
amount of capital over Wisconsin year by
year, when her people employed In manu-
features and In agriculture are saved many
millions of dollars annually on railroad
freights. The annual product of her fac
tories, the annual product of her farms, II
each were equal In amount and kind with
those of Wisconsin, would be worth to the
owners of the factories and farms in Iowa
many millions of dollars more than the
same would be worth to the owners Of the
The claim that reasonable transportation
rates could embarrass productive enter
prise and arrest development In any state
ought never to have been given credynce
and ought never to have been advanced.
1t Is an elementary proposition as old as
commerce and trade itself that unreason-
able and excessive freight charges are
harmful to Industrial progress, and the
only way In which Il control of rates by
a commission could injurc state would
be to reduce transportation rates so low
as to deprive the capital invested in rail-
roads of Al reasonable profit, and curtail
or cripple the carrier service to the pub
lie. This however, Is in no case possible.
No state would permit its commission to
harm in the slightest degree an agency
so needful to its industrial development
and business prosperity. If any commits
sion were nisled into establishing rate
which encroachcd upon the property rights
of the capital invested In railroads by the
smallest measure. the guarantees of the
constitution would be Immediately invoked
and the action of the commission promptly
reversed. So that 1t never was even re-
motely possible that the Iowa rate law
I should iniure the material development Of
the state. or indeed. fail to benefit its
/ business interests and promote its indus
/ trial prosperity
Hampered by High Rates.
And upon the other hand. by the operation
of the same principles. Wisconsin has made
her industrial advance hampered and bur
dened by high transportation rates that
reduced pioits and impaired the accumula-
tIon of capital within the state That she
has advanced in spite of these high rates
argues nothing and offers no justification
for their continuance. With her unrivnled
and diversified resources. her numbering.
her hardwood manufacturing, her pulp and
paper mills. her splendid water powers, her
rich deposits in iron and lead and zinc,
her varied and productive agriculture, she
should have outstrpped her competitor
across the Mississippi that in the last TWEEN
~ years has increased her capital invested
In manufactures and agriculture S404 To
each person of h population, while we
were only able to add S1S3, or less than
half as much, to our capital invested IN
manufacture and agriculture per capita,
Reasonable rates within state builds mp
nm internal commerce and exchange which
reaches and develops every community with
i'm the state Long and extensive railroad
hauls to distant markets are more and more
superseded by short haus. smaller fieight
charges and local interchanges Of produces.
Reasonable and equal rates for all builds
mn thriving towns. cities and villages, and
thousands Of merchants. manufacturers md
small shippers all over the state, This Ia
sures IL healthier. more evenly distributed
and more wholesome prosperity throughout
n state In Iowa under the reasonable rates
fixed by her commission after years of OF
Grafton under the law they said in theic
report the following in 1891:
"The farmer gets bis supplies cheaper,
his lumber. cattle. salt and other heavy
commodities Mt fair rates. He finds mar
ket for il portion Of his surplus corn oats
hay. wood. timber. etc. at home, and saves
transportation. lie markets many OF MS
hogs in Iowa packing houses and saves