Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-02
Iowa
FIGHT OVER BRIDGE TOLL
Suit to Compel Abolition of Twenty
Five Cent Arbitrary at Dubuque.
COLLEGE BOARDS IN SESSION
Old One Winding Up It's Affairs and
New One Preparing to Take Hold
Charges of Bribery in
City Matters.
From a staff Correspondent

From a Staff Correspondent
DES MONIES. May L-(Special.)- "A
saving OF S4O.O cO a year to the travelling pub
lie is contemplated in a suit before the
Interstate Commerce commission, the argu-
ment in which has just been filed by At
torney General Byers. II is the finish of
the case brought against the owners of
the railroad bridge at Dubuque to compel
abandonment of the longtime bridge
arbitrary of IS cents for every passenger
carried across the bridge.
"The Illinois Central Railway company
says the attorney general, has invested in
this bridge 81, 771,S44.44 and has exacted from
the shipping and travelling public in return
$s,OO0.O0o It would seem upon such a show
ing as this that even a railroad company
would be willing from now to make this
what has been termed In the record a free
bridge Without extending the argument
further, we repeat that under the circum-
stances disclosed in this case neither of the
three defendant companies ought to be per-
mitted to charge a cent for bridge toll over
the bridge In question"
The two other companies referred to are
the Great Western and the Burlington. The
evidence submitted to the Interstate Com
merce commission shows that the Illinois
~ "bt1A HA'NHNN "a NNaA "
for the privilege of freight and passenger
service over the bridge, About $4,000 Of
this is supposed to be for passengers at %
cents a trip.
Attorney General Byers made some re-
markable disclosures in the hearing on the
case before Commissioner Clark. He found
that the Illinois Central in fact owns the
bridge through ownership of a company
which owns the stock of the bridge COM
pany, and that Captain Merry, the agent
Of the Illinois Central, is secretary OF the
bridge company. ana that in fact the whole
scheme OF making reports and carrying
out contracts SO as to make 1t appear that
the companies are compelled TO pay toll to
a bridge company is>a sham and a deiusion
The complaint was brought by John r.
Waller OF Dubuque, and is prosecuted be-
fore the Interstate Commerce commission
by the attorney general through the Stat
Railroad commission. 1t was also brought
out that over other longer bridges across
the Mississippi the most that is charged Il
S cents a passenger. The case Will soon b.
taken up by the commission for a decision
and there Is expectation that the commits
sion will at least cut the arbitrary to
cents or abolish It entirely.
College Boards Meet.
A meeting Of the board OF trustees Of
the State college will be held at Anne!
May 6, at which time the committee o.
the new Board OF Education, which vii
report on the State college work, will b.
present and familia rize itself with the worl
TO be done. II is the intention of the oil,
board to close everything up before turn
ing over the business. At a meeting thl
week contracts were let for S5 coo wort
Of furniture for the new Agricultural nall
about half OF which is special furnituT
for laboratory use. Nearly all the con
tracts will be let at once which can b
let under the Law.
Praise for Old Board.
The new state pharmacy board, imme