The Saint Paul globe., 1904-02-18

!. The logic of the transportation prob
lem points inevitably to firmer state
control and regulation, and it depends
largely upon the advance in legislation
and administration whether public thought
VIII be satisfied with state control or
whether this will only constitute a step
ownership.
The. power of boards of directors and
omclalS OF our great railroad corporations
70 NIX rates gives them an opportunity
20 regulate the movement of population.
Under our present system of low terminal
tariffs or rates, industries are gradually
oelng forced to locate IN perhaps score
of places in the United States Thus favor
ed. and where the industries are forced
to go, population must necessarily follow.
Hence we see the industrial population of
the nation forced into. Chicago. Pittsburg,
New York. Cleveland and in our own
state, st. Paul and Minneapolis.
The consequence Is that our industrial
population must largely live an artificial
owning fireSide or home and with a
consequent disposition to participate in
desperate action resulting from despair in
regard to the future
Could the men who are now herded into
chicago and our other Industrial centers
be distributed throughout the country, as
they naturally would be if industries had
the same opportunities to shin from one
point as from another. believe we would
not hear much more about labor strikes
and violence resulting therefrom I be-
Ileve that the discrimination in freight
rates In favor Of these terminal points
which have as result developed into
great industrial centers, is the chief ele-
ment in the concentration of population,
and II we would avoid the evils resulting,
from such concentration, we must begin
py rect1fylng the unjust discrimination
now prevailing against our smaller COM
munities.
Mr.. Rosing cited number of in
stances where the smaller cities Of
M1nnnCnfn hn6
from the railroads by making a deter
mined effort. The speaker said the
league was working for a great many
things, including public service cor
porations, sanitation, municipal own
ership and parks and Fairgrounds, and
he believed much would be accom-
plished along these lires.
Upon the subject of Railway Rates
and Transportation" c. N. Andrews. of
Mankato, criticised in detail certain
rates on coal and lumber. He advo-
Gated state law enforcing railway
tariffs based on distance This plan
had succeeded, he said, in Iowa, where
rates were from third to one-haIf
less, everything considered, than they
are in Minnesota.
Relative to Municipal Charters"
Mayor J. G. Armson, of saltwater. said
that two chief difficulties had stood in
government.
One was the inadequate power of q
city to determine it's municipal policy:
the other was the restriction of power
to carry out such a policy, however
determined. Municipalities, in fact.
had been the creations and the crea-
lures of state legislatures. But abroad,
where municipal government is the
best government they have, cities were
strictly self-controlling.
Beginning the discussion, Mayor L..
l.. Brown, of Winona, vigorously favor
ed the board system in municipalities.
Most of the affairs of a city, he said.
were administrative; they must be
managed by executive officers, by busi-
ness men; yet too often American cities
were conducted by the city council. It
was like debating society trying to
carry on the war between Russia and
Japan.
"St. Paul." added Mr.. Brown, sfs a
board city. and st. Paul is a we'll gov
erned city. Its water board depart
ment is the best, or at least the second
best, in the United States; it is a de-
partment conducted by competent, prac-
tical men in businesslike fashion"
THE heart of man-and Woman-is
past finding out" declared Mayor J.
c.. Haynes, of Minneapolis. Back of
all sound government is a sound man.
and that is the work of the home. the
school, the church,
Mr.. Haynes had served on the first
charter commission in his city. The
charter had failed; a second charter
had been unsuccessful at the polls, but
a third was to be submitted to the
people within a year. His experience
h"s hAsn that unless some urgent