Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-04-19

Der of lesser ores. he may be forced
entirely 10 the wall And ali this goes
on under the cover of secrecy. He is
not permitted TO know what ii is that
| is undermining his business He loses
customer here and there. He is
running his business economically
and carefully. with due regard TO the
saving in every department, and yet
| he cannot hold his own.
Rebate Money Taken from General Public.
But there is just another view of
| this matter which strikes at the
integrity of government itself Who
shall set any limit to the power which
these public service corpora tons are
| to WELD over the destinies of the state
if, having the control of lines of trans
portation over which all produce and
all supplies must be transported. they
| are to have absolute power to fix trans
portation charges and then be per-
mitted to pay out hundreds of thou
sands to favored shippers at the eX-
pense of their competitors and the
public. Even if a shipper receives a
rebate, what assurance has he that his
competitor does not receive a greater
one? He is absolutely at the mercy of
| the secret rate. Well has President
Roosevelt taken up the advocacy of
publicity of corporate management.
The character of this business is
demoralizing alike to the railway
officials and to the big shippers, who
secretly share in the spoils. Men at
| the head Of large manufacturing con-
Germs who join with the railroads for
mutual profit in evading and violating
United States statutes and wronging
competitors in business soon come to
have a disregard for the rights Of
| others in wider sense. Breaking
| the law or evading the law in one par
| ticular fosters a spirit of disregard for
| law in other respects and begets utter
disregard for the rights of the average
| citizen outside the compact. Once
embarked in this business the fore
most citizen of the community will
not scruple to go to the limit. Who
ever stands in the way of the secret
rebate must go down. He regards
man as an enemy who advocates rea-
| sonable and equal transportation
| privileges for his rivals and competi-
| tors in business. He will go to any
extreme in making personal and po-
| litical warfare upon him and would
| apparently hesitate at nothing to
| achieve his destruction.
Roads Get Power Over Shippers.
When the power which the secret
rebate eXeTts over men is shown it
| need not be marveled at that the rail
| way officials are so reluctant to re-
linquish it. As reported by the inter
state commerce commission, they are
| indeed ready to violate the criminal
statutes, to doctor their books, to de-
stroy vouchers, to incur the risks of
heavy fines and even Imprisonment,
in order that they may continue to
| WELD over men of influence in their
| respective communities the control
which the secret rebate carries with it.
The large manufacturers of Wiscon-
sin are subservient to the railroad in
terests as evidenced by the meeting in
Milwaukee in January, 1903, when they
declared AGAINST increasing the taxes
of the railroads and again when they
met i'm Madison and denounced Gov
ernor LaFollette for his course in adj
| vocating equal freight rates.
Governor LaFoliette Successful.
The wisdom and foresight which
lifts Governor LaFollette above the
plane Of the politician and ranks him
as a statesman whose reputation must
live beyond his day and generation,
has been shown, among ether things,
by the orderly marshaling Of legisla-
tive propositions so timed as to COM
mand steadfast public support. No
student of recent history can fail to
see the signifi, canoe Of this as he re-
views the progress of the contest for
primary elections from the beginning
Of 1897, when the plan for the nomin-
alton Of Candidates by direct vote I'M
der the Australian ballot was pro-
posed for the first time by the gov
ernor, down to the 23d day of May,
1903, when he approved the law which
is to be submitted to the people ON the
Sth day of next November; or the de-
mand for the taxation Of the property
Of corporations at the same rate as
that Of individuals from 1898, when,
through his influence, it was first writ
ten in the Republican platform, down
to the 18th day Of May, 1903, when he
approved the law for the assessment
and taxation of railroad property at
full value and at the same rate as 9th
er taxable property; or the proposal of
a freight rate commission withheld
when it would have jeopardiZed rail-
road taxation, but proposed when the
time was ripe for its consideration by
the great body of the thoughtful citi-
zenship of the state
Importance to the State.
The Importance of Commissioner
Thomas report cannot be oyeres-
timated at this particular time. When
the people of Wisconsin are about to
determine the selection of a governor
for the ensuing two years, and the
election of senators and asSemblymen
who are to constitute the legislature
of 1905, the result of the investigation
reported to the present time becomes
q fo cfor Of fronoopdoy1, concauJ1pnco IF