The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-12-13
Pullman Company Accused of
Charging High Prices.
George Lotus Is Behind Move
to Lower the Figures.
Tariff Between Twin Cities and
Chicago Is Excessive.

Pullman sleeping car company which
the federal government has decided to
place on the grill, and this at the in
stance, primarily, of Minnesota man,
George S. LOTUS of st. Paul.
Under an order made by the inter-
state commerce commission, an inves-
tigation is to be made by Commits
sioner Franklin X. Lane to determine
the right of the company to charge as
much for upper berths as for lower,
and whether the charges it imposes are
Just and reasonable.
More than 100000 persons are in
terested in .Ae determination of these
questions, that being the number
which annually patronize the sleeping
cars.
The matter was brought to the at
tention of the commission in the form
of three complaints filed by Mr.. Lof-
tus The complaints were referred to
the Pullman company for answer, but
that company declined to make any
extended reply, merely denying gen
orally the allegations made and declar-
ing that it did not make unjust and
discriminatory charges. 1t asserted
further that it was not amenable to
the interstate commerce laws, contend.
ing that it is not engaged in trans
porting passengers, but merely in the
business of providing them with ac-
I. @ho Of choir
beds and food.
The interstate commerce commission
takes a different view. The railroad
rate law enacted during the last con-
gress specifically declared that sleep
ing car companies were interstate car
riers, and as such amenable to all the
laws regulating interstate commerce.
After careful consideration of the con-
tention of the companies, the commits
sion has ruled that the Pullman com
pany is subject to it's authority, and
instructions have been given to MIR.
Lane to begin an investigation.
Mr.. Lane will be in St. Paul Thurs
day, Dec 10. He has been informed
that Mr.. LOTUS will be prepared with
witnesses to establish the truth of his
allegations 1t is not known whether
the Pullman company will seek to re-
but the testimony offered, but it is
presumed it will not attempt to do
so, because such course might be in
terpreted as an evidence of its accept
ance of the authority of the commits
sion.
The impression prevails here that
the company will seek to obtain rul-
ing from the courts.
The allegations filed by Mr.. LOTUS
are comprehensive and intended to COW
er the whole sleeping car question. He
claimed that it is unjust to charge the
same for an upper as for a lower
berth. The former is not as desirable,
and in his Judgment the price should
be less. Mr.. Lotus declared that
sleeping car charges were excessive,
unreasonable, unjust and in violation
of law" He has filed with the COM
mission evidence showing that a pas
senger pays So a berth for the journey
from st. Paul to Chicago, distance
of 4lO miles, and $1.50 for the same
accommodation for trip from St.
Paul to Superior, $50 miles. In the
Judgment of Mr.. LOTUS not more than
$3.50 for lower and Is cents for an
upper berth should be charged on the
Journey between st. Paul and Chicago,
while the st. PaulSuperior charges
should not be more than 81 for a
lower and so cents for an upper berth.
Properly to determine whether the
rate is reasonable or unreasonable, the
commission must ascertain authorlta-
lively what the profits of the sleeping
car company amount to. The annual
reports of the Pullman company show
that the gross earnings of the COM
pany are in the neighborhood of $780,
900 ,OOO-three times as much as they
were ten years ago. The investiga-
ton into the charges of the Pullman
company is an indication of the inten-
ton of the government to continue its
campaign against corporations which
are the subject of charges.