Morris tribune., 1906-09-01


upon action being brought against
trusts, but he exercised what had been
treated as a discretionary power and
the result is the great trust question
is being brought before the courts for
adjustment to the very great benefit
of the general public. Through the
exercise of his discretionary powers
the Sherman antitrust law, which had
lain for many years as a dead letter
upon our national statutes, had the
breath of life breathed into it. That
which was an inert and worthless stat
ute is now living force, before which
ali men have learned to bow in re-
spect and obedience.
The Farmers Burdens.
For many years the Republican
party has been enacting laws giving
our railroad and warehouse commits
sion authority to properly adjust rail-
road rates. The result is we have as
good, if not the best, laws of any state
in the Union upon that subject. Min
nesota was a pioneer and leader in
this class of legislation. Two or more
men living in the same place, engaged
in the same business, are quite likely
each to first seek to know that neither
one had the advantage in rates over
the other. This question settled sat
isfactorily the next is-has any COM
peting point a rate advantage? When
this question is satisfactorily adjusted
it makes but little difference to either
dealer whether the rate of freight is
81 or 81 per ton. Whatever freight he
pays helps to make up the cost of the
goods.
The freight and the profits to
be made are both added to the
wholesale price of the goods and
the sum total falls as burden
upon the consumer. The consumer
the man who eats and wears
A.: is, in the last analysis, the man
who pays the freight. The most
F.: numerous class Of such consumers
/: are the farmers.
ss......
They are, necessarily, the ones
most directly interested in the cost Of
because they not only
pay the freight on the merchandise
shipped in from abroad, which it is
necessary for them to buy, but they
also pay the cost of transportation to
the market on every product OF their
farms. The market value Of wheat or
any other grain at any station in Min
nesota is the market price in Mime
apolis or Duluth, less the freight. The
market price of the farmers cattle at
nearly every station in this state is the
South St. Paul market, less the
freight. Even if he sells his animal
to the local butcher and it is not the
subject of transportation at all the
price he receives is the St. Paul mar
ket, less freight
Enforcing the Laws.
No one consumer is so much inter
ested in the rate question that he can
afford to spend the time and money
necessary to secure the benefits which
would come to him from general re-
duction of freight rates. What is
everybody's business is nobody's busl-
ness" except the officers who have the
matter in charge. The result is the
consumer is the last man whose inter
ests are liable to be considered. While
we have laws giving to the commission
large powers to make rates and mod
ify those that are excessive, and while
the commission has done much to re-
lieve the people from excessive bur-
dens, I believe we have not had the
enforcement of those laws which in
sures to the people their full and COM
pIete benefit. The courts of no other
state have taken a more advanced
position than those of Minnesota in
holding that the commission, in fixing
rates, shall take into account only the
cost of reproducing the road and equip
ment. Under this decision it would
seem that the cost of the railroads OF
the state must be known in order that
tnG Uldy 1ALCAAA6CAkAy LA
what are reasonable rates. am in
formed that, for some time, the COM
mission has been engaged in deter
mining such values, with the intention
of reducing rates to an equitable basis
Owing to the insufficiency of the law
upon certain point the work has
been somewhat difficult to perform
and the result of their labors may not,
in all respects, be correct.
5.
sssss'
/: It is, therefore, my belief that !:
the commission should be spe- ::
!: officially authorized by law to de-
+: termine the value of the railroads
in the state, and, that it may Sc =
cure all necessary data, should
/: have the power to subpoena rail- {:
way officials and employees and
F.: compel them to give their testi-
mony and to produce books and
o+bor Avidopco ranuirad, g.