The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-01-25


order from the Interstate Commerce
Commission, reluctantly agreed to
by the Pullman Company, reducing
it's rates twenty-five per cent on
upper berths. It may have signifi-
canoe for some of our readers that
George S. LOTUS is the close friend
and political deciple of Robert M
La Toilette, while Manahan is the
close friend and apostle of the Ne
braska Commoner. These two re-
formers, working together, have
saved travellers at least $4,000, 900
annually.
Inspired by the example of LOTUS,
State Senator c. E. Sundberg of Min
nesota, year ago, brought SINH
lar action against the express COM
panies. That action is still pend
ing. Sundberg crossed the ocean
forty years ago in the steerage of an
immigrant ship. He now owns
many farms in Minnesota. A few
years ago he had a breakdown oftone
of his threshing machines. Heewas
compelled to lay off twenty men until
the broken machinery could be re-
placed. He wired to Minneapolis
for the casting, which cost something
over two dollars. 1t came by ex-
press, and the express charges were
$36. Years rolled by, as the story
tellers say. Sundberg was elected
to the Legislature. He was ap-
pointed on a committee which had
to do with railroad and express
charges. He found that the Adams
Express Company had accumulated
over forty-ive millions, besides pay
ing enormous dividends annually;
that the American had accumulated
like surplus; that the United States
Express Company had accumulated
over fifteen millions; that the Wells
Fargo Company had assets amount
ing to $34.OO0,O0O, large part
which had accumulated in very re-
cent years; and that the assets of
these four companies in the year
1907 amounted to over $144,OOO,-
900. Then Sundberg began to won
der what was the legitimate field
for express companies anyway.
The railroads could as readi-
ly have fast freight trans
portation for the public as for
the express companies-why should
the burden of business be increased
by duplicating the machinery of :op-
Grafton? Why should a transpor-
tation tax be levied, collected, and
diverted from the public treasury
for private profits by railroads who
were supposed, to be doing semi
public work? Sundberg did not
apply to the government for relief
some observation had taught him the
futility of that. He hired Mana
han. They obtained access to the
offices of the companies and served
the subpenas themselves on the pres.
idents of each of the companies
The next morning Manahan stood
in court against brilliant array OF
| lawyers. When these lawyers Of
fered trained witnesses, experts in
the juggling of figures, as substitu-
tes for the chief officials of the COM
panies, Manahan stubbornly insisted
that only the officials themselves
would do-and the hearing had to
| be adjourned to allow the officials
to appear. They came, and the
sturdy Norwegian farmer who had
come over in the steerage succeeded
where the government had often
failed. We are led to bark back
to that scene in the Seattle court
room almost a year ago, when Sher-
idan, fresh from the law school,
singly representing this great Re-
public, was pitted against private
attorneys for reputation and expert
ence, in suit which involved the
vast coal deposits of Alaska, and ul.
timately the commercial control OF
that great Territory.