The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-09-30
OF
GENERAL
8 !: INTEREST
WILL BE- NEARLY THREE Bill
LION BUSHELS.

1T Is fundamental that the pros
tperity of our great country is predict
ed upon the new wealth produced each
year by our farms. Notwithstanding
the mfavorable weather conditions
early in the summer, the elimination
OF the growing season has been so
highly favorable that, taking our
great crops. collectively, the harvests of
1910 will come very close to establish
ing new highwater mark, if they do
not in fact do so. Every day that
frost is delayed brings the king of
our -corn--nearer the three bill
lion bushel mark; and the danger
point so far as frost is concerned has
already been passed in by far the
major part of the tremendous area
OF our great corn belt. In other
words, whatever damage may now be
encountered will undoubtedly be local
and comparatively slight; and it is
not at this time, counting our chick
ems before they are Matched, to view
briefly the benefits that may be ex-
pected of a corn harvest that for the
| first time in the history of our coun-
try exceeds the three billion mark.
Corn today is selling in Chicago at
more than 80 cents per bushel, on
which basis the value of the crop in
dollars and cents is very close to
81 800, ,000Lan almost unthinkable
sum, exceeding the value of our wheat
and cotton crops combined. This will
give the west, particularly, renewal
of purchasing power, affecting not
only its ability to take freely the prod
ucts of our factories, but will at the
same time mean a large traffic Tor
the railroads and extend to ramifica-
tions far too numerous to attempt to
mention in detail. Corn today enters
so largely into food for man and beast
that the Importance of a tremendous
production can scarcely be Oyerestl-
mated. It's uses for human consumD-
ton are so rapidly multiplying that
the transportation of prepared food
products is each year gaining rapidly
in Importance as an item of railroad
transportation. Corn, too, enters into
the transportation problem in many
indirect ways.o, AS the real basis of
cattle and provisions it becomes a
particularly large. item of transporta-
ton. to say nothing of corn ITSELF
which is one of the most bulky of
railroad commodities.
"A satisfactory corn harvest at prof
hi 10y Il Ill l.
other favorable agricultural develop
ments, provides, an antidote that must
prove highly effective in counteracting
developments of a less favorable char
acter, of which there has recently
been such an unusually large array.
To this must be added as funda-
mentally favorable feature the recon-
mendations of Judge Otis, of St. Paul.
who, acting as Master in Chancery for
the Gnited7States circuit court of appeals
rules that. state legislatures cannot
infringe upon interstate traffic rates;
also that low rates that railroads
were forced by the State Commission
of, Minnesota to charge in that com
monwealth were cOnfiscatOry and the
law ,mder whose provisions the or
der was given unconstitutional. The
recommendations of Judge Otis must
yet receive r. the endorsement of the
court; but they are based so palpably
on common sense, which is the real
foundation ofncommOn law, and Judge
Otis is ~. jufist of such high distinc-
ton, that it is much more than ran
dom guess to predict that the court
will recognize the sound wisdom of
the ruling. The farreaching effect of
federal court ruling on these lines
can !hardly be appreciated at first
glance. Our railroads have during the
lastg few nyears borne the brunt of
active antagOnism by national and
state governments, not to mention
municipal and even smaller subdivi
siOns OF governmental activities. State
legislatures have in many instances
decided they had the right. to fix the
rate of remuneration that railroads
should receive for transporting pas
sengers and merchandise in and
through the states. This ruling by
Judge Otis, if, confirmed. will remove
at. one swoop the state legislation
and interference that has so gradually
grown into Il severe handicap against
railroad prosperity. Another point
that should not be overlooked is
Judge Otis contention that railroads
are entitled to earn per cent on the
valuation ofnr such portions ,of their
property as are actually employed in
connection with the operations of such
roads in their functions as common
carriers. This Excludes all outside
land holdings por other investments, as
a basis of valuation, which the rail-
roads may have. The point is per-
fectly clear that the return PERMITTED
shall be 4 rergcent on the total valu-
alton of railroad property used in the
business of transportation. -
'This railroad ruling suggests that
turning point has been reached in
the unnecessary attacks upon railroad
property. There is no question that
abuses had arisen that required dras-
tic corrective measures; and the rail
road arrangements by their high hand
ed methods were themselves larely to
blame for the fact that these correct-
i've agencies took the form of unnec-
essarily burdensome provisions. But
the railroads nhaVe now a national law
l.,{ 1A