Morris tribune., 1905-09-09


sofa Mascot
Senator Stone of Benson, replies" in thu
Benson Review to the article we had recent,
on the Stone transferable mileage law. Afte
recitng the law, Mr.. Stone tells how similar
is i'll force in New York, and what an advant
age it is. He then goes to say
Before impugning the motives OF the 1egis
lature it would have been in better taste for the
editor to have consulted someone competent tt
advise him about the measure The bill was
amended l.. the house, to eliminate inter
Changeable mileage, which | believe was done
III good fat as tickets or books known inter
Changeable were not in by the general
public, but used only by few travelling
men who used mileage thruout the northwest
erh states.
Since the passage of this bill the railroad
companies i'll this state, operating main lines
under one name and branch lines under another
name, are issuing mileage books the as
before the enactment of the law identiCa1ly the
same as the books they previously issued with
the exception that they have printed the word
interchangeable" in the first part of the book.
These books good for travel on lines owned
aud operated by companies operating the roads
aud not good other and competing roads,
This kind of mileage is what the railroads now
construe as interchangeable mileage and not
what was intended by the Legislature when it
enacted the law In my judgement it seems to
be one way of avoiding the operations of the
law.
Had the bill passed the house as it passed
the senate it would have reduced the price of
travel one half cent mile to anyone desiring
to take advantage of a mileage book thereby
saving the people of this state many thousands
of dollars annually. [ am of the opinion that if
the editors of the Minneapolis Journal the
Morris Tribune and other papers in this state
were better Informed to this measure they
would not be continually casting reflections on
the Legislature which was acting in good faith
IN enacting this law
Stones laundering reply is admirable only
in the ca1mness with which he absolutely
ignores the point we made against the bill,
and in the self-satisfed assurance with which
he tells to find out what we are talking
about
Stated briefly said that the bill was a
farce from the first, because it would not be
effective unless it were made compulsory and
IT it were made compulsory it would be viod.
The railroad companies have happily got
around the law by marking their books ''inter
changeable" This preserves to the travelling
public the ordinary mileage books John
Lennon fought to have interchangeable mile
age books excepted from the law in order toI
keep them on the market. He knew that they
wouldSbe withd rawn if the bill passed making
them transferable. Stones bill it passed
the Senate should have been entitled ga bill for
act to abolish all mileage books, because
that is what it's enactment meant. Certain
legislators knew that it a bill to abolish
all mileage books, because here was a popular
clanor for the bill, an, because the railroads
very naturally had objection to it, they
thought they say good chanre to make u
record" to show to their constituents. do
not know that Senator Stone was of that
ber
Now if Stone would really like to know
something about his bill, he might read the
exhaustive opinion in the of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Ry. CO. Ii. G.
Smith, 173 y. S. 684, wherein the United States
supreme court held the Michigan law void;
and then if he wishes to know how much
"force" there is in the New York law, he might
read Beard sley VS.. n. Y. L. E. 8, w. Ry. Co. ct
al Sc Northeastern 4SS, wherein the New York
law is held void. After thoughtfully perusing
these arguments by people who know what
they are talking about, he might quietly nom
mate w G.. Whiteman for senator.