Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-07-23
Governor signs Rate BIZ.

Governor Signs Rate Bill.
Governor Davidson last Tuesday
signed the 2-cent fare bill and the same
became law The law will go into
effect on August 10 and will be effective
or all roads whose earnings are more
than So, 800 per mile This will affect
all the large roads of Wisconsin.
There are rumors that some of the
railroads will carry the matter into the
courts and test the vilidity of the law,
bat it is doubtful if this will be done.
The passage of the bill, after once be-
ing defeated in the senate because OF
the announcement of the Western Pas
senger association that on July 10 it
would make reduction in passenger
rates for interstate trips in Illinois,
Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri on the
two-cent basis, but discriminating
against Wisconsin, was the most signi-
ficent scene yet enacted in the legisla-
ture
Almost half of the members had re-
turned to their homes expecting that
the question of a two-cent fare was dead.
Then came the newspapers announce
ment of the reduction in the other
states, except Wisconsin. This caused
- nd hQ
senate convened Senator Wright of
Merrill, introduced resolution, which
passed requesting the assembly to re-
turn the Turner two cent fare bill, which
it had killed two weeks before, after
having sailed through the assembly with
safe margin.
The measure as returned provided for
a twO-cent rate on all roads earning
$1,000 gross per mile. An amendment
was incorporated cutting down the
earning amount to $500, which will
take in nearly all the roads in Wiscon-
sin The bill passed by vote of IL to
10
But second fight was already await
ing in the assembly. j. P. Peterson, of
Polk county, asked that the bill be killed,
which was refused by vote of "a to 81.
Then an amendment was adopted pro-
hibiting the charging of more than 2
cents mile when the passenger pur-
chases his ticket of the conductor. The
bill was hnally passed and was sent to
the governor.
A two-cent rate was to be established
months at any rate, according to the
interview Assemblyman |. Nj. Ingram
recently had with the rate commission.
The voluntary announcement of the
Burlington road that it would reduce
its passenger charges to two cents on
all of its lines led the commission to
the belief that it was only question of
a few days when other roads would
fall into line.
Some of the members of the legisla
ture showed considerable timidity 10
voting on the bill and many who
claimed they were in favor of two
cent rate, voted against it, because they
believed that the commission would inn
mediately resign as the result of the
activity of the legislature. The more
conservative men interested in legisla-
ton, however, are of the opinion that
the commission will not take the re-
duction of rates as an insult, but mere
ly attribute it to changed conditions
since the two and one-h half cent rate |
was ordered, ard the result of popn
lar demand VIII !. is now sweeping the
country.
Although there are some half dozen
of railroad attorneys in Madison, none
of them has received information from
their road that the rate will be con
tested in Wisconsin courts. In fact
one of the men said he believed the |
larger roads would prefer to see the
plan operate for few months and then
determine whether the reduction made |
by the states was too much
An interesting feature of the fight |
was that with the exception of the
Democrats the other parties were di.
vided The so called stalwart wing of
the party was split, the more radical
pushing the measure through, while in
the half breed camp Ingram was fight
ing for the passage of the measure and
Speaker Elkern was asking that it be /
defeated