Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-03-15
SENATOR BIRD HAD
THE BETTER RATES
PAID LOWER REIeHT THAN w. o.
coNNoR.
FEDERAL CONTROL COMING
Many States Attempting TO Regulate
transportation Companies viii
Lead to Corporations Knocking at
the Door of the United States Sen.
ate, Says Omaha Roads Attorney.
Madison, March 10.

Madison, March 10.
A stalwart senator and the La Fol.
lette republican state central commit
tee chairman became engaged in a
pleasant argument yesterday after
noon concerning the freight rates they
paid in their lumber business and it
was agreed that they were not treated
alike. The railroad committee was
hearing arguments on the rate com
mission bill advocated by Governor
La Toilette. Chairma1 w. D. Conner
of Marshfield, the administration chair.
man, was addressing the committee,
complaining Of Inequalities of rates
and determinations against Wisconsin.
Senator Bird, leading anti-La Fol.
iette member, interrupted to ask re-
garding some quotations of rates 1t
developed that these two large lum-
bermen had been charged different
rates in this state and that Senator
Birds rates were lower than those
paid by Mr.. Conner. 1t was suggested
that such a situation was an argu-
ment in favor of the bill.
The incident was by no means excit-
ing. Senator Bird, in a most courte-
Gus manner, suggested that the speak
er had made mistake and the politi-
clan lumberman merely told what he
paid. The result was TO set forth the
fact that their rates are not alike.
The committee was addressed by At
torney F. w. Hall of Madison for the
greater part of the afternoon. He
quoted from Attorney Pierce Butler
of st. Paul, who opposed the bill last
week for the Omaha road, TO the effect
that these movements for state control
of railroads were Fastening the time
when the roads would knock at the
door of the United States senate for
federal control Mr. Hall declared
that when this time came, the corpora
tons would not knock in vain. He
prefaced his remarks by saying that
the Importance of the subject alone
justified the discussion and stated that
ne appeared in the capacity of a pri
vate citizen with the welfare of the
people at heart Mr. Hall placed par
ticular emphasis on the statement of
Pierce Butler of the Omaha road,
made before the committee in a re-
cent hearing, which is as follows
The railroads disregard state lines
as they do county lines, and the time
will come, and must come when the
matter of regulation of freight rates of
commerce will be exercised by one
body. The body will be national
body, aided perhaps by the local state
bodies to look after purely local af-
fairs, and every attempt that is made
in the state by such measures as this
one proposed hastens the time"
There is no question as to what
this means" said Mr. Hall at is a
frank admission on he part of one of
the ablest men who has appeared be-
fore you that if the states persist in
regulating different portions of the
railroads, the railroads themselves will
We driven to ask for a national tri-
bunal.
Il regard the words of Mr.. Butler
as by far the most important words
which have been spoken in this de-
bate upon either side. Nothing which
/ can say will weaken them. Nothing
which Mr.. Richmond has said can go
beyond them. They involve the admis-
sion that this tremendous power of
controlling the liberties of the nation
with respect to public roads must be
exercised by a few. 1t must be done
by few railroad men, controlling the
leading lines of traffic, or by public
commission acting in the full light of
day"