Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-12
Governor LafOIIette of Wisconsin
Asks the Legislature to
Create One.
AGAINST RAILWAY DICTATION
Railroads Should Not be Allowed to
Dictate as TO Business Supremacy
In Every Industry

Madison. WIS, Jan 12,--The main
feature Of Gov. Lafolletto's message,
which he read to the Legislature today,
was a demand for an appnintive freight
rate commission. the last Of the hig
reforms asked by the governor lie
said:
Independently Of the question Of OK
ccssivc freight charges the state should
no longer allow a railway corporation
TO control without supervision, abso-
lutely and arbitrarily, the commerce
of Wisconsin aud through control Of
that commerce determine what villages
shall become cities, what cities become
great markets, and dictate AS to busi-
ness supremacy in every industry.
Whatever temporary reductions may
have. been made for business reasons,
study OF railway tariffs Ia force in
Wisconsin now dlscl0ses
Wisconsin rates arc sun high
or than the rates charged under sub
stantially similar conditions on state
traffic In the nelghboring states Of IL
linois and Iowa, where the rates are
regulated by law.
Second--mtcrstatc rates I'm Wiscon-
sin are generally higher Than rates in
Illinois and Iowa,
"Thlrd- Rates charged ON traffic IN
Wisconsin, on the whole, yield q gross
income TO the railroads considerably
above the amounts required for all OPP
erating expenses. for maintenance OF
property and for fair interest or pro-
iii on the cost Of the roads.
"Fourth--Tbe railwa" companies are
guilty Of gross determinations In IA
Nor Of certain shippers, and their dis
flln I
shippers are likewise rankly unjust, re-
suting in the uphullding Of monopoly,
controlling production and markets
alike.
The fact that railroads have such
complete control over the rates has
given them control over commerce Of
farreaching effect. II is easily In their
power to destroy cities and villages or
build them up I'm wealth and power.
They have but to raise rates I'm the one
case and lower them In another, afford
superior facilities Ia one case or mad
equate service In another.
1.-THE time has come for decisive ac-
ton, the control Of prices OF coal and
IRON and tho food products, and other
basic elements OF our commercial life
b. trust organizations I'm connection
with the great transportation systems
of Industrial and commercial import
aucc Industrial and commercial seryi-
tudc I'm tho final analysis is absolutely
destructive Of political Importance. II
Is time to look to the government for
relief and for its own sake no power
short OF the government Itself is ade-
quate now to meet existing conditions"
RVS. OPPOSE RATE FIXING.
Washington, Jan. H. Samuel spen-
GER president Of the Southern Rail-
way, and authorized To voice the scnti-
ment OF the New York Central Erie,
Chicago. Milwaukee & st. Paul, North
ern Pacific, Illinois Central, Lackawan-
ma and other railway companies, spoke
vigorously today before the house conf
mittee on interstate and foreign COM
merce against the Cooper Quarles bill
or any proposition to authorize the in
terstate commerce commission 70 fN
railway rates. Mr. Spencer IL the first
direct and official representative OF the
railways TO be heard by the committee
and his testimony Is regarded AZ the
keynote OF the opposition to rate fixing
by the government