Morris tribune., 1906-09-22
THE nAN WHO PAYS TnE FREIGHT.


when he said in his speech at Kenyon last Mon
day evening hat "the consumer-the man who
eats and wears-is. in the last analysis, the man
who pays the fright" 1t is apparent from the
tone of his address that Mr. Cole regards it as
the special study of the legislature to enact
laws that will protect that man and the spec1al
duty of the executive to enforce them.
Nor does Mr. Cole leave any doubt in the
minds of his audence-and in this case the
ticular things it is desired to do for the pro-
lection of the man who pays the freight
First. Railroad rates, in his view, should
be such and such only as will give reasonable
and fair return for the service rendered, as
by the cost of the roads, their main
tenance and their operation. No man-not
even Senator La Follette-has gone further
than Mr. Cole in this direction. Congress re-
Gently declined to go so far.
Second. No one competing point should
have any advantage over another.
Third. The railroads should favor no man
but collect from every passenger his full fare
III order to admit of the lowering of the pass
enger rates to all.
Fourth. Special privileges should not be
granted to the of private car lines which
enable them to exact excessive rates for special
service.
Fifth. Railroads should not be permitted
to make excessive charges and annoying re-
gulations governing the use of cars belonging
to them, by elevator and other shippers
Sixth. The practice of rebating should be
crushed out and officers of railroads who per
sist in the practice sent to jail.
Seventh. The Railroad Commissioners
Eighth. The governor should systematic
ally inform himself as to the transactions of the
Railroa commission and if they fail in the dis
charge of their duties, he should not hesitate
to remove them.
If Mr.. Cole is elected governor land he viii
be- and if he carries out the program he has
do that, too,) the man who pays the freight will
henceforward have ample protection and every
producer, shipper and consumer the impartia
service of the public highways.
S I
Hon. A. L. Cole in an earnest interview APP
proves the action of the railroad commission
not only in making twenty per cent reduction
in freight rates, but in working it out on {
scientific basis of which the distance carried
and the amount hauled are governing factors
He regards the character of the reduction
made, which apparently does away with the
present regulation, as in line with the Repub
lican platform which declares for rates which
will give every producer, shipper and consum
er the impartial service of the railroads of the
state. Apparently however, he is not quite
satisfied that 20 per cent reduction brings
soon as the valuation of the roads is arrived a
rates may be still further reduced.
Mr.. Cole, however, deplores the condition
of the statutes of the state with regard to the
of rates. "By contestiug the mat
ter in the COURTS he says the roads "Can defer
the enforcement of the rates ordered" and he
adds that lit must be evident to everyone that
the maintenance of rates decided by the com
mission to be excessive and unfair is in the
last degree unjust" to the people of the state
The remedy he advises and which, if elected
he pledges himself to use all honorable means
to secure, is to make rates enforcibe when or
dered by the commission and to remain in force
until the courts order a change This inter
view greatly strengthens Mr.. Coles attitude
on the railway question and will without
question be hailed with approval by the people
Of the state.
The Walker Pilot sees good prospects