Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-01-18
STATE CONTROL OF RAILWAY SER
VICE AND RAILWAY RATES.

STALE GUN IRUL UF RAILWAY SER
VICE AND RAILWAY RATES.
The power of the railroads in legislation
has been, perhaps, as manifest in Wisconsin
as any other state in the union. Moving
in the early '7Os for the control Of railway
rates, strong law was enacted here, and,
likewise, in the adjoining states of Illinois,
which prevailed at that time, President
Stickney, in his work on 1.-The Railway
Problem, says:
Railway traffic was conducted in such
value of the property of large numbers Of
individuals and the whole value Of the prop
railway managers believed they had the
right SO to make their schedule of rates as
to determine which of the villages on their
yond their local Ifo ertcry They also SOW Varied
their schedules in such way that they dis
eliminated in regard to rates between in
ulVldual merchants, manufacturers miners
and other business men so as practically to
determine which should become prosperous
and wealthy and which not
The breaking away of Wisconsin from o1[!
railroad control was temporary. In 1876
the Wisconsin law was repealed. Mime
sofa lost her law the same compaign, but
Iowa's law was continued in force until
1873, when q commission was created with
limited powers, which was again super
seeded in 1888 by her present law, estab
to prescribe rates. The Illinois statute was
also modified and strengthened, making. it
the duty of the commission to prescribe
maximum rates.
With the restoration to power of the rail
ways in Wisconsin, the abuses so frankly
described by President Stickney were re-
sumed, and have continued without inter
ruption. For many years efforts have been
made, session after session of the Legis-
lature, for the enactment Of law for rail
way regulation and control But the rail
way corporations have been strong enough
to defeat such legislation.
Commerce and transportation are vital to
organized society. They constitute a public
service, and are essentially subject to con-
troll by the state. The supreme court of
Wisconsin, with one of the ablest, most in
prudence, settled for all time all contro-
versy as to the inherent right of the people.
1t is well also to recall right here the words
of that great lawyer and jurist. Mr.: Justice
Bradley, who in speaking of the right and
duty to control railways, said:
But experimenting power over the
highways and the charges imposed upon
the public for their use, have always
NAMED in the government This is not only
It's indefeasibe right but it is necessary
for the protection of the people against eX-
tOrtiOn and abuse"
Possessing this experimenting power 1t
becomes the duty of the state to exercise
it broadly for the protection of the interest
of all it's people, not only from unreasonable
charges and eXtortion, but from other
abuses equally far reaching in consequences
commercial life of every community, the
comfort Of every home, is vitality dependent
upon facilities of transportation, and wher-
ever the state has given railway corpora
ton chartered rights to acquire land, es-
tablish and operate road, there rests an
obligation on the state, to see to it, that
given, in light of all the circumstances
a reasonably efficient and impartial service
While the railroads have provided an ade-
Ouate service to many communities In Wis
striking examples of unjust Determinations
in schedules, against some interests in ey
cry town, and many towns on every line.
The state fails in one of the essentials
of government when it permits railway
company to leave populous and productive
area, like that between Madison and Prairie
du Chen, with railway service so de-
plorably bad as to cause continual public
protest for years, without any redress what
ever.
AS mere carrier Of the products of 9th
ers, the railroads have no right to show IA
voritism to individuals, or to discriminate
between places. Its business is Transports
ton. 1t has not been vested with authority
to ordain that one shipper or city shall grow
rich and great at the expense of another
1t IS prepoSterous that the corporation
which is merely carrier, not the producer
or the consumer of the product carried
should be permitted to stand In relation to
that product, as though its interests were
the sole interests to be considered. The
railway company has important interests
in the regulation Of its service to the pub
ly weighed in regulating that service. But
its interests are not higher than those OF
the producers and those Of the consumers.
The fact that the carrier has interests to
serve units it to be the sole and final
judge as to the efficiency, the value, or the
impartiality Of its services to the public
and consumer are likewise to be heard,
and it is the duty of the state to determine
impartially the rights of all, with due re-
gard to the interests OF all.
&c
able that the carrier should be empowered
SO to arrange its schedule of rates as to
force produce and merchandise and manu-
featured products to the market which it
chooses to build up; that it should be able
to make the products Of Wisconsin pay
long charges to a distant market
own state--a harbor at her feet equal to
any inland harbor in the world located
directly upon the great highway leading
must sit by, while the products Of her own
state, and other states naturally tributary
to her are carried past her own DOORS
upon it by the state, no railway company
could establish or maintain its lines for
day. The state creates the corporation to
promote the general prosperity of all, and
the state is derelict in its duty to its own
people when it permits the corporation, in
order that it may carry out some vast plan
or supremacy over lines and systems Of
traffic, so to abuse its power as to retard
the normal development Of the towns and
cities, and destroy the commercial suprem
acy of tie metropolis of the state.
Independently of the question of excess
sive freight charges the state should no
longer allow the railway corporation to
control without supervision, absolutely and
arbitrarily. the commerce Of Wisconsin,
and through the control of that commerce.
determine what villages shall become
cities, what cities shall become great mar
kets, and dictate as to business supremacy
in every industry.
In the first message presented to the Leg
islature two years ago, l placed before
them the facts respecting railway trans
portation in Wisconsin. The magnitude of
the interests involved prompted me later
in the session to submit a special message
upon the subject. The Investigation into
Wisconsin traffic conditions made prior to
the meeting. Of the Legislature, of two
years ago, the Investigations made during
the session and continued thereafter, left
no room for honest deniel of the fact that
the producers and consumers of Wisconsin
were paying freight charges at that time
ranging from 20 to nearly 70 per cent. in
excess of the rates paid by the people Of
Illinois and Iowa for identically the same
service.
The regularly retained attorneys and lob