The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-11-02

ROSlng replied ithat IL nad Shipped his
| mind for the moment, but the work
would he finished in a month or six
weeks, and then they could call on him.
1t was then suggested that the resolu-
ton be passed anyway, with the under
standing that the committee should not
take action till the governors investi-
CATION was out of the way. Mr.. Ros-
ing thought that would be all right. So
the matter rested for an hour or two till
shortly before the league was called to
order for the morning session, when Mr.
Rosing came to the delegation again He
said that the governor preferred that
they should not introduce the resolu-
ton. The investigation would take
longer than six weeks. 1t might even
take six months. He suggested that
the matter be left to the executive CON-
mittee. which he would call together as
soon as the governor had completed his
investigation and was ready to act.
Got Tired Waiting.
! Accordingly the matter was dropped
for the time, and the gentlemen inter
ested waited. Six months went by, and
nothing was heard from the governor
or his investigation. j. Esbjornsson of
Litchfield, one of the members of that
deputation, got tired waiting and on
July 81 wrote letter to Mayor w. H.
Mueller of st. Peter, the governors
home town, who was another party to
the conversations with the governor and
Mr.. Rosing. In the letter he asked:
''Have you been informed yet whether
Governor johnson has got thru with the
secret agent he had employed to investi
gate the railroad corporations in this
state as at that time was stated by Mr..
Rosing? / have not heard about it
since. Everything goes as usual and the
people pay an unreasonable high freight
and express rate in this state.
The officials whose duty it is to look
after those matters are very Indifferent
about it."
On July 81 Mayor Mueller replied, Il
am going to send your letter directly to
the governors headquarters and let him
answer it the best he knows how, for |
cannot do its myself"
This brought letter from the gov
ernor to Mr.. Esbjornsson, written Aug.
2, in which he said:
Investigation" Not Finished.
j. Esbjornsson, Litchfield Mimi
near Sir w. Ii. Mueller of st. Peter
mas forwarded to me your letter ad-
dressed to him asking him whether l
had completed the Investigations along
railroad transportation lines. | would
say that the investigation has been very
thorough and has not yet been com
pieted, although some departments of
the work have been closed, and in "a
very satisfactory manner. The board
of railroad and warehouse commission
ers are now pursuing an investigation
along certain lines. Just what the re-
suit of this will be | am not Informed,
but l am not ready to take any action
until they have been given full Oppor-
tunity to complete their work.
! am satisfied, however, that we nave
but begun the work of railway regula
ton i'm Minnesota, and that / propose to
contribute everything within my power
to this end Yours very truly,
John A. Johnson, Governor.
Result of the Investigation"
That is the last communication which
the members of the league have had
from the governor on the subject. The
"secret investigation" was heard from,
however, in few days. On Aug. l6
the governor was stirred from his rest
by the publication of a letter from
Editor A. w. Blakely of the Rochester
Post and Record, asking whether Gov
ernor Johnson had ever communicated
with the railroad commission in any
way on the subject of rate reductions.
The commission replied that he had
not. The next day the governor wrote
his letter to the commission suggest
ing an arbitrary reduction in grain
rates, and the commission called on the
governor to explain that any reduction
without a full hearing was impossible
under the law This was the first ami
only conference between the governor
and the commission, and the one which
oil the stump he tells about in such
graphic language. At the time all par
ties agreed that it was very peaceful
and harmonious meeting. No order of
any kind was found nee ,ssary rs the
roads made the reduction voluntarily.
The ''secret investigation" was APP
parently finished about this time, for
on Aug. "a the governor transmitted
the result of it to the railroad commits
sion with his compliments. It o,"sist-
ed merely of big book in which DAN
iel Kennedy, the governors expert,
had entered up tables showing the pres.
ent tariff rates from the twin cities
to points in Minnesota, and what the
rates would be under the Iowa siis-