The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-09-05
REDUCED R. r. FARES.
Twenty States Have Cut Down the
Price and Fourteen Have TWO
Cent Rate.

FIlCS dHu FOuL lCCn nave WO
Cent Rate.
Twenty states have either reduced
rates on passenger traffic in the last
year or have taken steps preliminary to
doing SO. OF these, fourteen have en-
acted flat two-cent rate for their
are based on information on file with
the interstate commerce commission.
Alabama has fixed rate of q
100 miles long. This rate will go into
constitutional questions involved.
Arkansas has a fiat 2-cent rate, which
went into effect by law April 8, though
some of the roads have refused to re-
duce their rates, among them the Rock
Island and the Frisco.
Georgia has 2-cent rate on her prin-
cipal lines, with p and q cent rates on
the smaller roads. This becomes
effective September 9.
Illinois has flat 2-cent rate, the rail-
roads being given the privilege of
charging cents for fares paid in cash
on trains. This law went into effect
July 1.
Indiana has fat 2-cent rate. Iowa
has 2-cent rate on roads with gross
earnings amounting to $4,000 mile, q
cents on roads earning $4,000 and 3
cents on roads earning less than that
amount per mile.
Kansas has law requiring the rail-
roads to sell straight mileage books of
500 miles at 2 cents mile and inter-
changeable mileage books of 1900 miles
at 2 cents mile.
The Michigan statute provides that
all roads having passenger earnings
Of 81 200 per mile shall give 2-cent
rate. This law goes into effect Septem-
Der n. The Minnesota law provides
for 2-cent rate and went into effect
May 1.
Missouri's 2-cent law went into effect
June 10 and applies to all roads with a
mileage of over 45 miles.
Nebraska has 2-cent law which went
into effect March 6 and the penalty for
it's violation was made SO heavy that the
railroads thought it the part of wisdom
to put it into effect on the day it went
| into force, to remain in effect until the
constitutional questions raised are
| finally adjudicated in the courts.
| New York has created the public
utilities commission, which has the au-
thority to require a 2-cent rate if it
seems wise to do so.
North Carolina has 2l-cent rate on
| it's principal roads. This rate is now
effective, pending an adjudication by
the supreme court.
Pennsylvania has :2-cent rate law,
which will go into effect October 1.
Proceedings are now being carried on
in the state courts to determine it's con-
stitutionality. This is the only state in
which the fight aganst'the reduced rate
is being made in the state courts.
| West Virginia has 2-cent rate on
all lines over so miles in length, with a
maximum Of cents on lines of less than
SO miles.
i Wisconsin has .2-cent rate which be-
came effective August Is and which
! applies to all roads having gross earn.
ings Of over $4,000 per mile.
! Oklahoma has written 2-cent rate
into her constitution but it is provided
that it be increased If the corporation
commission created hereunder deems il
advisable.
1 Ohio was the first state to declare q
2-cent rate. 1T is said the Ohio roads
are showing heavier passenger earn
4 ings than prior TO the establishment O
the low rate.
Vermont has established commits
sion to establish rates of not over 2.
cents per mile.
In at least ten other states, similar
legislation is understood to be likely il
the near future. Among them are
Texas, Maryland, Kentucky, New Jer
sey, South Carolina and Massachusetts,
la this connections it is interesting tx
note that the average earnings per trail
mile in the states north of Mason ant
Dixon's line run about20 per cent higher
than they are in the southern states
that have passed the 2-cent rate.
1t appears that the question as tx
whether a state has the right to pro
hibit foreign corporation from remov
| ing it's cases from the state to the
federal courts is to some extent an ope1
one, the supreme court itself having
taken both views of the matter, anl
that largely as the body is now con
stituted. 1t was held in the case O
Swing VS.. Weston Lumber Company last
year that a state had the Rndoubtec
right to prohibit foreign insurance com
panies from doing business in its limits
or to impose conditions. In another
case, it was held the right to remove
given by constitutional act OF con
gress cannot be taken away or abridged
by state statutes. This last case i.
seemingly more fully to the point il
cases like those Of the Alabama ant
Arkansas railroads, though there arr
two lines of thought in the suprem.
court on this subject, as study of tn,
cases will show.
Your skin should be clear and brigh,