The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-03-01

cent. on the value that ought to be
charged to this account.
The railroad commission says the
railroads are entitled to earn fair
profit, The commission also says that
more letters were received urging
better train service more trains and
cleaner ones, with better depots bet
ter cars, better speed, than for lower
fare.
The Wisconsin legislature has with
drawn two-cent fare bill. Wiscon-
sin has million more people than
Nebraska. Other states, contemplate
ing reduction of fares, owe 1t to their
citizens to make just as exhaustive an
investigation as did the Wisconsin
commission, for without that, on the
hitor-miss plan, no law enacted is as
sured of constituionality in the courts.
1t is not difficult to see that a two
cent fare is popular. A one-cent fare
or no fare at all would be more pop
ular The outlook, reform maya
zine, stated some time ago that 1t was
equal rights and not cheaper rates that
was demanded 1t reiterates the same
this week. Yet everywhere there is
being made demand for cheaper
rates, regardless of all else, including
To hot tha
tracts help pay for trains. Congress
has a bill right now that Is going to
reduce mail contract fees. And at
best that is an illogical way of look
ing at 1t, from the states view. The
Wisconsin commission says that the
passenger business must stand on its
own foundation. 1t must not be run
at loss, so that freight rates will be
raised and thus the merchants and
later the consumers pay in increased
living cost, for their cheaper rides.
Secretary ]. F. Hanson of the FIRE.
mont Commercial club, who was here
last year, was practically Kissed at
Lincoln the other night when he urged
the state association of Commercial
clubs TO be fair to affair to railroads
as to other industries. He declared
the railroads were Fremonts most val
liable asset today and they deserved to
be treated with the same fairness that
other industries or private individuals
are entitled to. He said that the rail-
roads were entitled to an increased
profit from their risk, just as a farmer
today is entitled to the rise in the
price of his land, for which he is in
no way responsible excepting that he
has used foresight and taken risk
And it was the same spirit that hooted
Mr.. Hanson in the state association
meeting, that today has brought about
a riot of tearing down without time to
reason out the justice of the destruc.
ton.
Archbishop Ireland of st. Paul de.
plores the law mania and business un.
rest now on the land. He says: "That
corporations may have their faults
shall not deny but this l deny, that all
men are equally talented, equally far
| sighted, equally industrious; that con
sequently all are entitled to equal in
dustrial reward. This too l deny, that
men being as they are, society can
never be without it's comparatively
rich and comparatively poor"
The legislators of Nebraska no long
er ride on passes. The newspaper mer
| of Nebraska no longer use editorial
mileage. Many others in Nebraska
are paying cash fares. The editor OF
this paper paid his fare to the state
editorial association in cash and was
overcharged by the Northwestern
whose agent at Omaha refused tc
grant him the promised excursion rate
on the return trip, but for all that II
would seem that the legislators of Ne
braska and the newspapers and the
citizens could still be capable of the
Americans boosted fair play, and al
| least thoroughly investigate a condi
ton before enacting laws which, by
comparison with the Wisconsin inves
| tigation, appear unreasonable ant
which therefore only promise to the
state that the laws will probably be
killed as unconstitutional when the
courts take them up.
| A Washington dispatch says that
two-cent fare laws are the result OF
railroad activity in the past in poll
tics. If this be true, all the more
should Nebraska and other states &C
deeper into the reasonableness and
justice of the matter than the some
times unjust popular sentiment.
| AROUND TOWN.