The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-02-04
TWO N A Oh

Will the people pay two cents a
mile in h e a future riding on
railroad trains? Will they pay two
and one-half cents a mile or will
they pay three cents a mile. Doubt
less it will be one of these three
fares which will be in force. The
legislature is bound to pass the two
cent rate in order to carry out the
tenets Of the republican platform
and the democratic platform as we'll.
1T is not being accepted with any too
kind a grace either by the legisla-
tive members, for it seems to be the
concensus of opinion that it is doing
the railroads something of an injus-
t1ce to impose such a low rate in
the early history of the state-for
as a state South Dakota really hasn't
commenced to make history as yet.
We are, comparatively, in swaddl4ng
clothes, and yet we are DESTROYS of
getting on the front seat with old and
and populous states where there are
twice as many people to ride on the
cars as there are out in this country.
1t don't appear to be just the right
thing to insist on the low rate of
two cents a mile in a country which
Is very anxious for railroad extern
sion In different directions. 1t don't
appear just right to urge railroads
IN h1i1d and of tho t;~,. 4o1I
the officials that if they do build we
are not going to permit them to
charge a passenger fare that is at all
commensurate with the expenses of
new railroads. There are a few
states back east and in the middle
west which have been plodding
along for fifty years or more paying
the three and four cent rate. They
have builded up their populations
with the aid of the railroad and they
have the people to patronize the
railroads at the lower rate, yet they
are just getting now after more than
. half century what we are asking
for and not a quarter of a century
old as yet.
OF course the railroads are power
less to do anything. They realize
what is coming to them and
there is nothing of a railroad
lobby at Pierre to lay the first straw
in the way of legislators. The roads
are simply setting back and permit
ting the members to use their own
pleasure in doing whatever they
think they ought to do. The rail-
roads will have their turn at the
wheel-not in retaliation, we be-
lieve, for what burdens have placed
upon them, but it is evident they
propose to conduct their business in
\ way that they figure will mean
some return on the investment: That
Is their privilege and 1t is one they
: entitled to use just the same as
any individual would do were he to
make an investment in a community
and finding that he was to be ham,
pered by additional burdens that
we're not in evidence when he started
0A0 0AICA pAA6cs u0 udtuIdlly WOulu
commence to retrench to keep up his
business within the lines Of paying
on the investment.
II the same amount of energy
we're spent trying to secure lower
freight rates the people would then
receive some benefit directly. There
is not a home or business in the en-
tire state but what would receive
considerable assistance in the way Of
lower freight rates on goods that
they use.
The outcome of the passage of the
lower passenger rate will be watch
ed with much interest, in view of the
fact that the railroad commission
now has a suit against the railroad
companies trying to enforce the two
and one-half cent rate, and should
the roads win that case the two cent
rate, though passed, would have no
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