Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-07-18


measure became a law the same af-
ternoon when it was published. The
law, which is to 90 into efec- on Au-
gust IS, will apply to Gle en- different
railroads in Wisconsin having annual
earnings exceeding $4,000 a mile
The roads to which tn law will ap-
ply are:
Chicago & Northwestern, earnings,
$10O18.89 per mile.
Chicago Milwaukee & st. Paul
earnings $9,84Z7L
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, earn
ings $l5,522G7
Chicago, St Paul Minneapolis &
Omaha, earnings $8,191.79.
Wisconsin Central, earnings $71GG..
Sc.
Minneapolis St Paul & SauIte ste.
Harie. earnings $5,453.22.
Northern Pacific, earnings $4O4C.88. !
Great Northern, earnings $36.715.35. ,
Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern,
earnings $5,G35.24.
Drummond & southeastern, earn
ings 23,&15.82.
Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western, !
earnings So 84Z81.
Two Of these roads with earnings
exceeding $4,000 mile are not pas
senger carrying roads. They are
the Great Northern whose Wisconsin
business consists almost entirely of
freight switching at Superior, and the
Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern,
whose business consists of freight
switching between Milwaukee and
Sout.. Milwaukee.
Several Roads escape.
Several other roads carrying pas
sengers escape the effect of the law
their earnings being beneath the
$4,000 a mile Among these are the
Duluth, South shore & Atlantic, with
earnings at $3,35S.52 a mile, the Hi
nois Central with earnings at $1,537
a mile, and the Green Bay & Western
with earnings at $4,000 a mile.
There is no information available
as to whether the railroads intend to
test the law in the courts as they are
doing in Minnesota, Iowa and Mis-
feet that the family mileage books
VIII be Withdrawn and that the com
mutation tickets will be discontinued.
Speculation continues as to what
action the railroad commissioners will
take now that the bill has been
signed. 5ohn Barnes, chairman of
the commission, is in Milwaukee and
the other members refuse to discuss
the matter in his absence This
would seem to indicate that whatever
action is taken will be concerted
though there appears to be no auth
orization for the reports that have
been circulated that the commission
ers would resign.
Result of New Conditions.
Certainly no man in Wisconsin
holds this commission in higher es-
TEEN than L. said Governor Davidson
yesterday after signing the bill. That
,wO-cent fare bill has been passed
by the Legislature and has been
signed by the governor should not be
interpreted as any lack of confidence
in the ability or integrity of the com
mission. Thi bill is the outgrowth
of complications and conditions which
have arisen since the railroad com !
mission rendered its decision for a
WO-and-one-halfCent iare The tray !
cling public has been harasSed when. !
ever interstate tickets have been pur- !
chased Information has come to me
officially of instances where men
travelling between states have been
forced to pay three cents a mile, and
of other instances where travellers
have held family mileage books, when
the railroads have required passeD.
gers to pay IS instead of 81 for sleep
ing car berths. arbitrarily adding 81
to the sleeping car rate. These things
and the arbitrary refusal to check
through baggage, have contributed TO
conditions which seemed to make
two-cent fare law advisable in order
that the people of Wisconsin might
enjoy the same rights and privileges
accorded to citizens of other states.
A Bad Precedent.
The passage of the two cent rate
law established a bad precedent" said
Speaker H. L. Ekern. If the Iegis-
lature can be asked to come in and
fix new maximum passenger rate.
after the commission has made its
two-and-one half-cent ruling. why can
not the legislature in the future be
asked 70 step in and fix new max
imum freight rates. new maximum
gas rates. new electric lighting rates.
and new maximum rates for all pub
lie service corporations which are
now regulated by the railroad com
mission? 1t appears to me that the
passage of the two-cent fare bill has
established a precedent which will
admit of such action in the future"
Litigation Probable.
The enactment of the two-cent rate
law, in the form in which it has been
hastily pushed through, opens IN a
fruitful field of speculation as to the
ultimate result should any of the
roads feel inclined to litigate. 1t is
known at the present time that the
Wisconsin Central cannot afford to
reduce its passenger rates. TO two