The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-02-08
THE POWER or
SENTIMENT.
y q q Nv q q q q q 0SSNW

Viii = AAV4A4| l. .
{ 40 q ~ y NG5N7N q ~
The fourth week of the legisla-
ture IS ended. This has been sort
of probationary period for our state
lawgivers, but we must still give
them little more time in which to
show how they intend to dispose of
the zone paramount issue-the
struggle for supremacy between
the corporations and the people.
As yet little of real consequence
has been accomplished. Much
Legislation of the highest import
ance has been started toward the
statute books, but not one of the re-
form bills has been reported back
from it's committee: Until this
preliminary parleying is done, we
must reserve judgment and be
content with mere conjecture.
Education is always the forerun-
ner of reform. A thorough public
understanding of any great evil or
injustice has always been followed
by a wave of sentiment. which,
sweeping over the affected section
of our state or nation, has by it's
own force, accomplished the need
ed change. This is true today, and
it would be particularly applicable
to this state could it's common
citizenship be brought to full ap-
probation of what certain reforms
would mean to Minnesota now.
The misuse of the pass system and
the justice of the demand for a two
cent passenger fare are rightly un-
derstood, with the result that the
uncompromising state of public
sentiment will make the defeat of
these reforms impossible. But
there are two other railroad reforms,
of vastly greater consequence,
which may meet with failure be.
cause the people of the state do not
realize their importance.
The enactment of a reciprocal de-
murrage law, as proposed in a bill
already introduced, would result in
an almost inestimable saving to
the shippers of the state. The rail-
roads would, according to the pro-
visions of this act, belcompelled to
reward their patrons with only such
efficiency of service and conven.
fences as would, under the ordin-
airy rules of business procedure,
be provided voluntarily. Recipro-
cal demurrage would give the pub.
lie something to say about now and
when their shipping should be
handled. With this principal in
operation car famines would be-
come only matter of history and
farmers and business men would
no longer be forced, through rail-
road arrogance and indifference, to
suffer loss because they could not
get their shipping done when
markets were favorable.
The chief provision of this re-
ciprocal demurrage bill relates to
the furnishing OF cars. Were it
law, railroads would be compelled
to furnish cars to shippers within
forty.eight hours of the time
ordered, or pay daily penalty for
the delay after that time. The
justice and necessity of such a
legal arrangement has been en-
phasized in Minnesota during the
past two months, but if our ]egisla-
ture fails to pass this bill at this!
session the situation promises to
become doubly deplorable in the
near future. The reason is this:
Congress is likely to pass an inter-
state reciprocal demurrage law and
several neighboring states are
almost certain to take the same
necessary step. Now, with Min
nesota having no such law and
reciprocal demurrage enactment in
force in nearby states, it would
simply mean that every railroad in
Minnesota which does an inter-
state business would first furnish
cars to all those states in which the
penalty was provided, leaving our
own state more helpless and com.
mercially crippled than it is at the
present time. Think about this
meritorous measure, but don't stop
there; let your representative and
senator know that you are studying
the question.
And then comes the distance
ariff hill Of Sono4o- Ha.l Ia