Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-11-09
ASK FOR JOINT
FREIGHT RATES
Considerable Agitation In the
State For Inauguration of
Joint Freight Rates
THE COMMISSION MAY ACT.
Not Unlikely the Legislature Will Be
Asked to Pass a Law Compelling
Joint Freight Rates-Des Moines
Jobbers Will Oppose Such a Move
Capital Gossip.
,ecial to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 9.--There is an agi-
| tation being carried on for a joint
freight rate in Iowa. There is not a
! great deal of fuss being made over
| the matter, but quite e. number Of peo-
pie are interested in the matter. They
have suggested. it to members Of the
state railroad commission, and have
argued that there should be a bill pre-
scented at the coming session of the
| legislature giving the commission au-
| thority to put In schedule OF Joint
rates. Frank 7. Campbell, formerly
a member of the commission, argues
that the joint rate could be put in with
out additional authority. When the
Joint rate that was put in by the board
some years ago was knocked out by
the supreme court the faults found
with 1t were in technical matters as to
| the proper length of time in giving no.
/ tice for the joint rates to go into eff
feet and the like, the supreme court
!
! The court has rule not to pass on the
constitutionality of an act when the act
| is illegal for other reasons. At the
same time there was a very strong i'm
preston at the time from the develop
ments Of the case that IL the court had
1 passed on the constitutionality of the
law giving the commission power to put
| in joint rate, it would have declared
the law unconstitutional
It is quite possible that bill may
be introduced giving the commission
| authority to put in joint rate 1t
may also be that the commission may
decide to put in a joint rate anyway.
If the matter is raised in any way there
is sure to be strong fight on the mat
ter. A joint rate is not as simple a
proposition as the first primer, but is
a complicated concern. II the present
rates are taken as the basis on which
to make the joint rate, the railroads
will object and get out all sorts of in
functions and the people Of Des Moines
will object in any event to q joint rate
as it would put other towns more nearly
on level with Des Moines is shipping
matters. The Chicago Great Western
has just issued a joint rate sheet in
which it quotes so per cent Of its rate
where the shipment is origi-
mated on that road. 1t is
more or less generally accepted
that the road that originates the ship
tnent should have eighty per cent of
Its rate to the Junction point and the.
other road fifty per cent of its rate
| from that on. But IL 25 miles Of the
distance is on one road and Is on an
other the rate will not be the same
both ways, which brings up difficul-
| ties. For instance, lie the rate over the
| 25 miles Is $40 and over the rs miles
$50 surprising the shipment to orig.-
nate on the road with the % miles the
rate going would be $.23 and If the
same goods were shipped directly back
over the same lines the rate would be
$.29, which would be clear dfscrimi-
nation and would not be allowed. or
course q railroad commission would
have to equalize such matters.
In Illinois the freight rate on ship
ment of goods % miles whether over
one or two or any number OF roads, is
$24, while in Iowa 1t is SIT. If the
railroad commission attempted to put
in joint rate on the present Iowa
rates the railroads would claim that
the rate is too low where the goods
have to be rehandled. Des Moines is
very fortunately situated since 1t has
every line of railroad in the state with
the exception Of one. Consequently
its rates are all direct rates and the
shippers here have no complaint as to
the shipments wiehin the state Of
Iowa. But if joint rate We're put
In Fort Dodge, Waterloo, Marshall
| town and other cities could reach
points on roads other than their own
as cheaply as the Des Moines mer-
chants could and the Des Moines mer-
chants and factories would Of course
| object to losing any Of the advantage
they now have. Notwithstanding the
objections and difficulties, however,
there are large number in favor of a
| Joint rate and they will make their
| wants known.
| Charles Aldrich, curator of the HIS
| torical department, has discovered
some valuable papers of which he is
| very proud, and is arranging to give
them a place of honor among the val
| liable articles and finds that he has
succeeded in getting together in the
historical building One is a notice in
the hand writing Of John Brown, of
Hampers Ferry fame. 1t has been dis
covered among the papers Of Rev. John
Todd, the founder of Tabor College. 1t
reads: John Brown respectfully re-
quests the church Of Tabor to offer
public thanksgiving to Almighty God
| in behalf of himself & company & Of
their rescued captives in particular for
his gracious preservation Of their
lives & health & This signal deliver
ance Of al out of the hands Of the
wicked hitherto. OH give thanks unto
the Lord; for he is good; for his mer-
cy endureth forever"
Mr.. Atdrich viii have the writing en-
! graved 1t was secured from Rev. John
Todd's son, Professor Todd, and with
it also notice written probably by
Rev. John Todd, which reads as fol-
lows: "a meeting of the anti-slavery
friends Of Fremont county will be held
in Sidney ON Sat. Sep Is, 1855, at II
A. NJ. All interested in resisting the
encroachments Of American Slavery
are invited to attend. Addresses alter
mating with appropriate music may be
expected on the occasion. Sidney,
Sep. 1. 1856"