Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-06-16
ARE 2-CENT. FARES CONFISCA.
TORY

Duluth Herald: One of the reasons
urged by the railroads why the Mime.
sofa 2-cent passenger rate law should
be repealed by the courts was that the
was contiscatory; and that
one of the reasons why the Federal
courts acceded to the wishes of the
railroads rather than to the Wishes Of
the people of Minnesota.
Is the 2-cent fare confiscatory? The
court says it is; tut the railroads ap-
pear to have made more money under
it than they did under the old 3.cent
rate, and Senator julius A. Collier OF
Scott county, ia statement published
in the Shakopee Argus. shows that the
railroads admitted that it is not con-
tiscatory by offering, when the 2.cent
fare bill was pending, to concede rates
which practically amounted to 2-cent
fares
At that time, as Senator Collier says
representatives OF several of the lead
ing railroads agreed as a settlement to
concede the following privileges:
Round trip tickets at fiat 2 cents q
mile; 5OO-mile mileage books. good
only on roads of issuance and good
until used by the purchaser or any
member OF his family at fiat 2 cents a
mile; 1000.mile mileage books. inter-
changeable and good on all roads,
limited to one year, at fiat 2 cents a
mile; extend to the public, as before,
all special and reduced rates such as
excursion rates, state fair rates, etc.
This proposal was approved by the
conference committee, of which Sena.
tor Collier was a member, but later the
Northern Pacific refused to abide by
it, and new proposal was made, as
follows:
One way fare at 2 IL cents; 500.
mile book at 2 cents; other usual
mileage books and excursions on same
rates as in the past.
The new proposition not being salts
factory as to freight rates, negotia-
tions for settlement ended, and the
legislature passed the cent fare bill
and the commodity rate bill which the
Federal courts have repealed by judi.
cial decree.
Counting free passes and low excur-
sion rates. it wal shown in the hear
ings before legislative committees in
this session of 1907 that the railroads
were then getting, on the Scent tate,
less than 3 cents a mile for carrying
passengers. The 2-cent fare law was
accompanied by a law forbidding
passes, and the railroads ceased Civ.
ing excursion rates. According tC
their own figures the railroads should
be getting more actual revenue out oil
2.cent fares without passes and excur.
sion rates than they. used to get out Of
ho Q.oor% 70 with ooecas orn o~o,,r.
sion rates.
In spite Of this obvious arithmetica]
fact and in spite of the fact that the
railroads" we're willing to make conces'
sions which practically amounted to {
cent fare law was coniscatory, and
the Federal court has sustained theil
plea.
Senator Golfers letter completely
annihilates the railroads case, and his
remedy is one which The Herald hal
already approved. He says:
II the railroads decide to put
into effect the Scent rate on July 1,
it seems to me that the people Of thi.
state should be benefited by the in
creased earnings taken out of thu
pockets Of the taxpayers of this state,
and the citizens OF the state ought t
proceed at once to petition thu
governor to call an extra session Of
the legislature at an early date for thu
purpose of raising the gross earning'
tax on the railroads. amending thu
law IN other details and compelling
the railroad companies to furnish t
the people who are compelled to pay {
rate Of cents per mile the same pas
senger service that they have fur
nished to people who are only required
to pay a rate of 2 cents a mile. Thu
law, too. should be changed so thai
railroads shall pay their share Of thu
cost of LEGAL Improvements.
Senator Collier, as usual. is emphati
cally right.