The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-02-13
WILL ASK
GONGRESSTO OUTLAW
EXPRESS COMPANIES
Association Declares There 10
No Reason Why Thsy
Should Exist.

Sioux Falls. s. D.. Feb. 11.-H. N.
Jones. OF this city. president OF the
Western Fruit Jobbers' association. a
organization embracing all the territory
west of the Mississippi river, an
nounces that his organization expects
to 3 congress before the end OF the
present session to enact legislation out
lawing the express companies.
Immediately following the special re-
port of the Interstate Commerce COM
mission upon the business OF n ex-
press companies OF the United States.
the association will begin its organized
effort to ave the express business de-
clared illegal.
1t was this organization which, two
years ago, fought the private car lines
all through the session of congress ut
which the railway rate bill was enact
ed. A special committee OF h Sen
ate spent seven weeks hearing the EVIL
'dence collected by the association. As
a result Of the rate bill, which re-
quires the railroad companies to WI
the equipment necessary to t~ransporta-
'tion, the private car lines nave been
ended. This was accomplished when
the Senate voted down amendments
Ktttredge, OF South Dakota. to recog-
nize the private car Inc al common
carriers.
Work Of Association.
It was also the work OF this organiza-
ton that put a resolution through con
gress a year ago, directing the Inter
state Commerce commission to Inquire
into and report upon the express bust
ness. The commission appointed 6pe-
cial Examiner Brown, who q held
meetings In Omaha. Kansas City, Chi
cago, Dallas and Fort Worth. The fruit
jobbers' association was represented by
its attorneys at these hearings, and
the express companies by q number or
lawyers headed by Frank Stockton. at
torney for the Wells Fargo company.
Frank Gaines, an attorney Of Omaha,
is now making a brief OF the evidence.
in behalf of the fruit jobbers' assOcia-
ton. which he will present to the COM
mission. The attorneys for the EXPRESS
companies will make a plea for their
clients. This will probably be done
within q week. The association hopes
tina the Interstate Commerce commis@
sion a make its report to congress-
within a fortnight, or a month at the
latest. Upon that report and Its shows
ings, the association will ask congress-
to abolish the express companies as a.
needless tax upon the shipping inter
'ests Of the country.
Fight e Finish.
THE report of the commission" said
Mr.. Jones, will show that 80 per cent
of the business OF the express COM
panies Is done by employees OF the rail-
way companies. The express COM
panies have no railroads, no means of
transportation. They own practically no
property. In most cases their Offices
are simply rented. All that is required
by them Is desk room in which to col
1ect their money and small storage
rooms from which to make deliveries. /.
Yet these express companies are
capitalized at tremendous sums. The
shippers are paying dividends on blue
sky to enrich the stockholders Of these
companies. We not only pay the rail-
o companies for transportation a
sum they are willing to accept from tho
express companies as sufficient, but we
must pay the express companies an adj
ditional sum. We are paying twice for
all transportation carried by the ex-
press companies. ,.
1T should be understood the West
ern Fruit JObbers' association is in
this Eight to stay. We will keep at 1t
until a law Is passed hat refuses to
allow any but common carriers to ac-
cept freight for transportation"