Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-03-15
FRIENDS Of RATE
BILL At HEARING
ARGUE IN FAVOR OF A RAILROAD
COMMISSION.
PUBLIC OWNS THE ROADS
Corporation Officers Have No E~clu-
siVe Property Rights in Great
transportation Systems, Declares
T. C. acknowledgement and
Bacon Also Appear.

Friends of the railroad commission
bill are having their turn in the trgu
ments before the joint legislative com
mittee on railroads. They are answer
ing the array Of representations made
the last two weeks by the corporation
attorneys and are presenting reasons
for the proposed legislation. Attorney
T. c. Richmond OF Madison yesterday
afternoon made a speech which might
have been Characteristic of Governor
La Toilette in a political campaign.
He gave a demonstration to show that
Wisconsin people are paying higher
railroad rates tnan people IN Iowa or
Minnesota and that the railroads are
therefore exacting a transportation tax
in Wisconsin higher in proportion than
in the neighDoring states. He argued
from a number OF famous legal decis-
ions that the business of the railroads
is public in character, that the rail
road property is offered tor public use
and therefore is subject to public su,
pervision if the legislature so deter.
mines. He reviewed the enormous lana
grants and bonuses given by the peo-
pie for the building of railroads and re
ferred to judicial decisions for tne
statement that the railroad corpora
tons have no exclusive property right
in these valuable systems.
+. H, Magdeburg and L. p Bacon OF
Milwaukee also argued in favor of the
measure. Mr.. Bacon has been in
Washington for months working in the
intere SITS of measures to strengthen
the interstate commerce commission.
Prosperity Not Due to Roads.
Captain Magdeburg made a strong
plea for the bill. He stated that he
came in the capacity of a private citi-
zen and that he had advocated this
question for 20 years before state and
national bodies.
In his opinion, the matter is purely
an economical one. The shipper is not
the only one affected by unreasonable
rates" he said, the producer pays in
reality the transportation charges on
mis- produce ana on the merch andise
which he buys. The people who are
interested are not able to send here
able counsel TO represent their inter.
ests, but none the less they prefer 10
have their say in the regulation OF
rates rather than leave the whole mat
ter in the hands OF men whose only in,
terest is that Of the railroad stockhold-
ers. The railroads enjoy the right OF
eminent domain, conferre" upon them
by the people, ~and should be amen
able 20 the rules and regulations male
By the people VINO give them their
corporate existence.
The statement has been made here
that the shipper and not the railroad
makes the rates. The people demand
that they themselves be given that
power, which belongs to them more
than to either of the others The trend
Of public opinion is toward strict regu.
latton Of common carriers, and is evil
denced by the passage of the Esch
Townsend bill in the lower house Of
congress.
The railroad people have the idea.
continued the speaker, that they are
responsible in all tor the prosperity Of
the state, but they forget that the rail-
roads came to the people for assistance
in building. The farmers along the ola
La Crosse road mortgaged their farms
to help the road and the city of Milwau-
kec spent 100000 for roads which
have still TO be constructed, and this
was 80 years ago..
The captain urged that the state
place limitations OF debt on the rail-
roads rs on municipalities and in con.
clusion asked for the most stringent
regulation possible. Referring to the
figures given by the governor. he
sai3: The fact remains that the peo-
pie of this state pay uniformly higher
rates than the people in adjoining
states, and | see no reason why this