The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-01-06

tenders TO justice ana securing 10 the
school funds of the state the amounts
properly belonging thereto.
The public examiner further states,
as a result of investigation, that min
eral leases have been issued contrary
to law and to persons not legally en-
titled to hold them. | assure you that
proper steps will be taken to revoke
such leases. AS a precaution against
future violations of the law that this
class of property may yield to the state
the greatest possible revenue | recon-
mend the passage of bill to provide
for the sale of mineral leases at pub
lie auction to the highest bidder, and
that every such sale should be after
due and proper advertisement and
after meteorological examination of
the land by the state before such sale.
Within a few years vast mineral beds
have been uncovered and there is rea-
son to believe that still greater dis
coverieS are to follow. The interests
of the state must be safeguarded in
every possible way and again | call
your attention to this most important
question.
RAILWAY LEGISLATION.
One of the greatest problems of the
time, and which is of the greatest and
most vital concern to the people re-
presented by you, is that OF railway
transportation and tariff rates for the
| same. There is no need to rehearSe
the history of recent litigation affect
ing combinations of parallel and COM
peting railway lines. The United
States supreme court in a decision rem
dered by it has decreed against the
merger of such parallel and Compel
ing lines of railway And yet we real
iZe and know that combinations are
in effect which completely annihilate
competition. Railway rates in our
state are much higher than across our
border in Canada That there is an
unjust discrimination there is no ques-
ton. Speaking of railway control
Justice Bradley of the United States
supreme court said:
THE experimenting power over the
! highways and the charges imposed
upon the public for their use always
remains in the government. This is
not only it's indefeasible right, but is
necessary for the protection of the
people against eXtOrtiOn and abuse.
/ These positions we deem to be incon-
trovertible. Indeed, they are adjudsed
the law i'll the decisions of this court.
Railroads and railroad corporations
are in the category"
You are the representatives of the
people. To you they look for relief.
BY many the Iowa distance tariff law
is believed to be the solution OF this
question for our own state. Railway
rates are lower in Iowa than in this
state by from % to 40 per cent. Some
thing is radically wrong with a sys-
TEN which places the Minnesota ship.
pers at such disadvantage.
That the Iowa distance tariff law
would be of benefit to our state is OF
grave doubt The railway situation in
Iowa differs materially from our own.
Iowa is a state compact in physical
form, having within her borders no
great terminal markets and whose
products are mainly agricultural, the
great surplus being carried to termi-
nal markets beyond the state in car
load lots With us the condition is
wholly different and after investiga-
ton have concluded that it is an open
question whether or not the Iowa plan
would be to our advantage as whole
state. A distance tariff might be OF
temporary benefit to the rural dis
means of gradually tearing down our
internal terminal markets, the result
being eventually to our disadvantage.
There is a remedy, it seems to me, in
the establishment OF maximum
freight rate that will be fair to the
shipper and not be hardship to the
transportation company The railway
and warehouse commission is now
clothed with proper legal authority TIC
establish fair and equitable rates.
That this has not been done IS be.
cause Of a lack of aggressive admin
istratiOn rather than lack OF legal
authority. | would, therefore, recon-
mend the appointment by you of q
joint legislative committee to make
a full and complete investigation OF
/ the prevailing rates of transportation
within this state with view of e5tab
fishing by law maximum tariff rate
| for transportation within this state
which shall be based upon a reasonable
rate of interest and profit on the in
vestment and which will be fair to all
parts of the state and absolutely pro-
hibit an unjust discrimination be-
tween localities or individuals.
Nor is our complaint alone in the
matter of rates within our own state.
! There is the same ground for diSSatiS-
faction on interstate traffic. On this
class Of business state authority is
powerless to make any regulation.
| Even the interstate commerce commits
sion is limited in it's authority and to
provide sufficient power there is before
the national congress what is known
as the Cooper bill" which is de-
signed to clothe the interstate COM
merce commission with complete au-
thority to establish a just rate after
hearing and investigation and to
have the rate put in force pending lit
igation. l would earnestly recommend
the adoption of joint resolution
which will explicitly endorse the said
Cooper bill" and request our senator's
and representatives in congress to
support said measure. To enable our
people to fully avail themselves Of the
benefits of the national laws regulat-
ing transportation and of the interstate
commerce commission in the admins
tration of these laws | would urge the
passage of bill which would author
ize the state board of railway and
warehouse commissioners to represent
any individual complainant before the
interstate commerce commission when.
liz the judgment of said board of rail-
way and warehouse commissioners,
the grievance of the complainant is