Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-06
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ILL.
NOlS.

chicago Ir1Dune.-RallWay paSSen-
ger rates beginning with yesterday be-
came less than three cents per mile in
almost the entire territory under the
Jurisdiction of the Central Passenger
association. The rate has been made
two cents per mile by law in New
York and Ohio, and the railways have
based their interstate rates upon the
maximum legal interstate rates. In
Michigan rates are by statute made
proportionate to earnings, and vary
from two to three cents In Pennsyl-
vania and Indiana the railways to
forestall legislation fixing maximum
rate of two cents. have voluntarily
made reduction to two and one-half
cents. In all the territory Of the Cen
trail Passenger association, the only
state In which the three cent rate will
continue to prevail is Illinois,
This exclusion of Illinois from the
benefits of the rate reductions in cen
trail territory is an unjust discrimina-
ton against the people Of this state.
In the adjustment of passenger rates
illinois should be classed with the
ftates to the east of it. Its passenger
traffic is not quite so dense as that of
Ohio and Indiana, but it is far more
dense than that Of Minnesota, Wiscon-
sin, Kansas, Nebraska and the other
western states in which the three
cent rate will continue to obtain. The
fact that Illinois in railway matters
stands with the populous central states
to the east was recognized and main
tanned during the recent mileage book
controversy among the eastern lines
by such high authorities on the sub
1ect as the officials of the New York
Central lines. They refused to con1ne
their proposed open $40, 1,O00-mile
mileage book to the territory east of
the 1ndiana-Illinois line, saying they
could see no reason for thus d1scrim-
mating against their patrons in ILL
nois. If there is no good reason for
discriminating against the people of
Illinois in the sale of mileage there
can be no valid excuse for discrimin-
atfng against them in the sale of tick
cts,
The eastern railways, by their own
voluntary acts, are estopped from say
ing they do not reduce rates in ILL
nois because they cannot afford to. Not
only have they all adopted two and
one-half cent fare In territory where
conditions are closely similar to those
in Illinois, but it is but a few days
since, as already indicated, the New
York Central lines proposed to place
on sale In this state mileage books
which would practically have reduced
their rates to two cent basis. The
public has right to construe these IN
cidents as indications afforded by the
roads themselves that passenger rates
in this state are too high.
The real reason why the railroads
have reduced fares In neighboring
states without reducing them In I'LL
no1s Is tolerably clear In the states
to the east there has been persistent.
organized agitation for the passage of
two cent fare laws by the state legis-
latures, and the two and one-half cent
rate has been thrown out there as a
sop to public sentiment In Illinois
there has been little or no such agita-
ton, and consequently the people of
Illinois get no reductions The rail
roads are more likely by the policy
Of discrimination they have adopted
to excite an unfayorable public senti
ment in Illinois than to appease it in
Indiana and Pennsylvania.