Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-02-22
narroads Desire to Compromise.

lily mileage book and Lucent cash
passenger fare will be accepted by
, railroads of Iowa, without protest and
without contest in the courts.
This proposition was submitted to
the senate committee on railroads
yesterday evening and the committee
adjourned until Friday, when the q
cent fare bills will be given further
consideration and the railroads given
further hearing.
Carroll Wright, Iowa attorney for
the Rock Island, proposed the COM
promise measure at the close of an
afternoon Of speeches by the railroad
men, the feature of which was the
plea by General Solicitor Hanson of
the Milwaukee, on behalf of the rail
roads, that the senate postpone act
lon on the 2-cent fare proposition till
the Wisconsin railroad commission
reports in two weeks on an inquiry
into the subject continuing over a
year.
Members of the railroad committee
were not expecting the offer of the
railroads to accept any compromise
legislation, having heard threats that
enactment along the line of reduction
in passenger fare would result in Grip
pied train service or action in the fed
eral courts. Legislators did not dis
cuss the matter last evening, desiring
to give the new proposal of the rail
roads careful consideration before
passing upon it.
Mr.. Wright spoke for all the rail-
roads. He had been ill for three
weeks and not present at the hear
ings. His proposition was embodied
in an address to the committee in
which he said that it was evident
that the efforts to force fiat 2-cent
passenger rate on the railroads in
Iowa was likely to result in litigation
unpleasant agitation and Ill feeling
between the people and the railroads,
which should be avoided, if possible
The railroads, he said, were salts.
fed that they could not maintain their
service in Iowa on 2-cent basis. The
reduction of 33 1-3 per cent. He
thought the legislature would not UNI.
dertake to reduce the legal charge OF
any other. interest in that per cent
unless it were fully demonstrated
that the less rate would furnish rea.
| sonable return.
Two Cent Fare Bill Reported.
At the close of the railroad hearing
on Friday afternoon special sub.
committee, consisting of Meredith,
Hambleton, Marston, Hickey and
Baird, was appointed to draft com.
mittee bill. The subcommittee work
ed rapidly and was ready to report
before noon yesterday. 1t took the
main committee but few minutes to
act upon the report and pass the bill
out.
The Meredith committee bill pro-
vides for a Q, 2 IL and Scent pas
senger fare on all railroads In the
state Of Iowa; 1t permits the carry
ing Of greater amount of baggage
without excess charges and reclassi-
fies the roads. No provision is made
for family mileage book
A publication clause providing for
the bills taking effect Immediately
bill and it is said that this is the
chief objection made by the railroad
interests. 1t is possible that an ef-
fort will be made on the floor Of the
house to amend by striking out the
publication clause.
1t repeats section 2076 and 2077 of
the code and provides that all rail.
roads in the state of Iowa shall be
classified In accordance with the gross
amount OF their annual earnings with.
in the state per mile for the proceed
ing year. Glass A roads are made to
include those whose gross annual
earnings per mile are $4,000 or more.
Class B roads include those whose
gross annual earnings per mile are
between $4,000 and $4,000, and all
roads whose gross annual earnings
per mile are less than $4,000 are in
cluded as Glass c roads. It is pro.
vided that in determining the classic.
cation Of any railroad, the entire rail-
road property owned and operated by
any company, shall be considered as
a single railroad, and the aggregate
gross earnings of the entire railroad
within the state are to be divided by
the entire mileage owned or operated
within the state to ascertain the gross
earnings per mile of the road.
League to Fight Brewery Bill.
The bill introduced In the house by
McManus which gives breweries oper-
ating in the Iowa the right to ship
liquor directly to other parts in the
efo ;e 30
trated forces of the Anti-Saloon
league. DR.. McCash said to-day:
''The bill was introduced to carry out
the program Of a party platform. It's
passage means the breaking down of
the present laws and all counties
which are now protected would be
opened to liquor traffic. The league
will fight the bill, and l do not think
1t will become a law. If liquor were
necessity or commodity l would
have no objection to the bill, but it
Is not"
Road Law Changed.
The house bill providing for the
division of townships into road dis
tricts, the election of road superin.
tendents for each district and permit
ting resident property owners to work
out three-fourths of their property
tax, passed the house yesterday by
vote of 70 to 81. A fight was made
on the bill by those who opposed al
lowing farmers to work out their road
taxes on the ground that it was
step backwards, as the roads are in
better condition now than ever be.
fore TheX aItrihIied this To The