The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-28
WORK OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE /
WARE RFPUD|ATFS ALL
HfATWOLF INFLUENCE
Says the Mortified Man Has
Nothing to Do With
Bills

A. K. Ware, the Northfield man who
is father of the house anti-pass bill and
of sundry other bills aimed at the rail-
roads, yesterday made public denial
! that he is the representative in the
| Legislature of Joel p. Heatwole, of
| Mortified. Mr.. Heatwole is in North
field and his denial is yet to be heard.
| Mr.. Wares denial was made before
| the house railroad committee, called to-
| gether to hear arguments on the Ware
| bill to reduce the maximum passenger
rate to 2h cents, and providing a sys-
| tenn of interchangeable mileage books
| that will result in a 2-cent rate. His
| outburst was due, he said, to his
knowledge that some one had tele-
| phoned yesterday from the capitol TO
Mr.. Heatwole charging him with re-
| sponsibility for Mr.. Wares legislative
activities.
This bill is an idea of my own" the
Rice county representative said. II
learned today that somebody here in
the capitol this morning called up
Northfield over the telephone. They got
Mr.. Heatwole's ear and told him he
was considered the author of the rail-
road measures have introduced in the
legislature. They told him that the
measures were really in favor of the
railroad corporations. 1t was laugh
able that this information should be
telephoned from the capitol to North
Held and then back to me. Mr.. Heat
Wole is not using any pass over any
railroad and he has had no pass for
two years over the road for which he is
alleged to be the agent.
Heatwole Pays His Fare
He is paying his fare on one road
because he refused to accept a con-
tract for $145 worth of advertising that
the company wanted to pay only SIS in
mileage for. 1t is false that ,Heatwole
has inspired this bill. He has never
had anything to do with the bills 1
have introduced; he has not suggested
them or known anything about them
until / had introduced them in the
mouse. / see no justice in my meas
ures being credited to others. l am
not the agent Of any one man or cor
poration; l have no method in my
madness, if it is madness. / want to
be fair to all interests"
The discussion of the Ware bill was
opened by Gen. NJ. D. Flower, who
asked Mr.. Ware if he was able to fur
nish authoritative information as to
the cost of transportation per person
per mile. II want to be fair" said Gen.
Flower, but ! won't vote for bill
which will not give the railroads a rea-
sonable profit. / want to be fair to all.'
Mr.. Ware replied that the railroads
themselves were unable to give this in
formation, but was interrupted by F.
w. Root, of the Milwaukee, who said
they were prepared to give very exact
information on the subject.
fnr f1A Iii,
for an early hearing and final disposi-
ton. He said that change in passen-
ger rates is demanded by the people
and that the public was accusing the
committee of acting unfairly to their
interests in not reporting the bill. Mem
bers of the committee Immediately
called his attention to the fact that the
original bills had been found so faulty
that they had been withdrawn from
committee and then indefinitely post
poned. This bill had been referred to
the committee but few days before.
Quotes Passenger Figures
A. E. Clark, general counsel for the
Minneapolis & st. Louis railroad, made
the chief argument against the pro-
visions of the Ware bill. He quoted
figures to show that his company car
ried its passengers for 1.S2 cents a
mile, while the actual cost, figuring the
service and fair rate of interest on its
capital, was 2.02. The state railway
commission had declared against any
reduction in passenger rates two years
ago, after an exhaustive inquiry he
said. In Minnesota the total cost per
passenger per mile was 2.99. while the
average revenue was 1.94. 1t was bet
ter to carry passengers at loss than
to have>the equipment lying idle Local
traffic alone paid cents a mile. and
the United States supreme court had
declared that this rate was not exor-
bltant No state in the Union has less
than 3cent maximum except three
or four roads whose charters establish
ed 2-cent rate. Competition was
better than any legislation to cheaper
rates and to improve the service Of
trains. Judge Clarke declared that any
depreciation of railroad values is an
attack on the great financial interests
OF the country in which the savings of
millions of people are invested through
insurance and other trust companies
He said that less than 31a per cent of
the rides on the line he represents are
free rides, and this includes 5000 en-
ployes' passes.
E. D. Sewell, of the Milwaukee said
that the average cost mile in Iowa is
2.03 and in Minnesota it is 2.04 cents.
Pierce Butler, of the Omaha, made a
brief but telling argument against the
bill. He admitted the public was cry
ing for reduced rates, but he explained
this by saying that the same demand
exists for the reduction in the price of
any commodity that the people use.
The legislature ought not to base it's
Judgment on petitions, but on the rea-
sonableness of the demand. He con-
tended that the injury to through pas
senger interests would suffer more
than the local traffic would be benefited
by the reduction. Mr.. Butler said that
in recent years there had been no de-
crease in rates. but there had been a
vast Increase in the number of trains
and in improvement of the service. A
2-cent maximum cannot and ought not
to be enforced. There was no abuse
to be corrected by the legislature. BY
the carrying of passengers the rail-
roads do not receive any interest on
their bonds or dividends on their stock
The committee took no action.