The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1904-03-26
WHITE OPENS
CAMPAIGN.
Gov. White Opens Campaign
in Barnes with Speech
in Valley City.
His Position on the Merger
Explained and Critics
Given a Reply.

Bismarck Tribune. Oct. 9Th, 1905
Gov. White made the first speecl
of the campaign at Valley City las
night, his address being devote.
exclusively to the matter of rail
roads. In Introduction, the Gov
ernor stated that his position hae
been criticised more severely by
Republican papers than by Demo
cratic, and that in explaining his
position he did SO more to justify
himself with his friends than tc
meet any opposition of the Demo.
Gratis. After stating the extent tc
which railroad consolidation had
progressed the past few years, Gov.
White said:--
81 have been often asked why I
did not attend the meeting of the
governors at Helena. When my
attention was called to the organi-
cation of the Northern Securities
Co., and l accepted the invitation
to the meeting, [ had given this
matter very little consideration.
My Investigation, however, soon
brought me to the belief that the
consolidation had already been
accomplished. If the law permit
ted any man to own one share in
the Great Northern and also one
share in the Northern Pacific, he
could own as many shares Of each
as he could buy and pay for and if
he owned a controlling interest in
both, there would be very little
competition between them, and it
would make no difference whether
they were managed separately or
together. This seemed to me to be
the whole case in question. Mr..
Hill and his associates lad bought
and owned a majority of the stock
in, each one of these roads. You
couldn't take it away from them.
and you coldn't prevent their sell
ling what they owned, and you
couldn't take it away from the man
who bought from them. If each.
and every individual shareholder
sold his stock to John Doe" his
right to own it in it's entirety and
to exercise every right that per-
tains to ownership cannot, it seems
to me the whole case in question.
Railway stock is private personal
property subject to the laws of
contract and sale. ~
Reads az tho Hill had written
it himself
"And in Withdrawing my accept
ance of the invitation to the con-
ference, l was led to do SO under
the belief that the interests Of the
state would be best subserved by
my refraining from taking any ac-
ton whatever in the matter until
it had been more thoroughly 9i-
geted by myself and by the peo-
pie of the state"
I'm a state like ours, where there
are no competing terminals, where
but a small part of the territory is
served by more than one road, we are
inevitably brought to the conclus-
ion that competition is a very mad
equate and irregular regulator"
The governor then explained at
length the gradual development Of
laws to govern railroads. He ex-
uained the conditions which led
to the passage of the interstate
commerce act, and the discrimina-
tions which were pract1ced by the
roads in granting rebates and elm
mating competition by community
of interest. In closing, he said
"The question of consolidation is
more a question of railroad econo-
nv. If the railroads of the north
west can be more cheaply operated
if the public can be given better
facilities of connection and COM
munication in it's various parts by
consolidation, it should result to
the benefit Of the public and not
to its injury. The danger lies not
in consolidation but in the made
auacy of our present laws. to meet
present conditions"
G4oeiv;e VanSant of Minnesota
persisted in his position that the
position Of the peple required the