The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-10

MI BECK SuSScSlcu iHdI ocHaloi
eastman speak first, as it was an
educational meeting. and he had
come by invitation.
President Patterson said that he
had invited Mr.. Beck to be present.
so that both sides might be heard,
and he thought Mr.. Beek's sugges-
ton Il good one. He then invited
Senator eastman to explain and
show the strong points Of his bill.
Senator eastman Speaks.
Senator eastman said that freight
rates BATTLE men more than any one
thing. People don't know that they
are being imposed upon, or they
would not permit il. 1t is not right
to let the railroads say where there
shall be growth or decay Of cities.
They can do this by the manipula-
ton of rates. The speaker wished
that more farmers were present, as
they are the backbone of the state.
The recent census shows an increase
in population in the state of 80, 900,
but this has been in the twin cities
and the iron ore and lumber districts
of the state. In the rural districts
there has been Il decrease, twenty
nine counties showing a decided de-
crease. Any increase in rural dis
tricts has been due to the ncwness
Of the country, cheap land inducing
settlers to come in. In Iowa, where
this law is in force, there has been
a general prosperity. The prosper
ity accounts for the decrease of pop
ulatiOn, land getting so high that
people with large families sell out
and move away. The decrease in
population was entirely i'm the rural
sections, the towns having grown in
nearly every instance. Several Iowa
cities have shown marked growth.
In Minnesota few Of the smaller
cities have not increased any TO
speak Of
"Saps" Had Counted.
Those who have been heard in
st. Paul on this question have been
handed sap and must dance to the
music. The speaker had been hand
cd a sap, himself, which he pro-
, cecdcd to tell about. He had learn
ed that his competitors i'm St Paul
were getting One-half the freight
rate that was being charged him,
and he had begun to study freight
rates on other things and in other
localities, and he had found much
n ipc hn ~,
for a remedy and had found the
Iowa law. He had found all deal.
ers there getting rich everywhere,
and no city getting any advantage
, over another The railroads have not
: been well satisfied i'm Iowa, because
! they have not been able to milk the
/ public. The net earnings per mile in
that state are $500. and in Min
ncsOta $4,000 to $4,000 The railroad
mileage i'm Iowa has more than dOu
bled since the law was passed TWEEN
ty-threc years ago. and the railroad
employees arc as well paid as in Min
nesOta
Square Deal in Iowa.
In Iowa freight rates are fiat an(
the same for all, throughout the
state, a square deal for all. You
cannot measure service in any other
way than by mileage rates. The
rates there are all published i'm 6
tariff pamphlet and any shipper car
: get one. We must be just to tht
railroad companies, the same as tt
!, everybody else. An initial charge
is therefore made to compensate the
, roads for hauling a short distance
as the expense of short hauls i.
more per mile than that of Ions
hauls.
Mr.. Beck had been sending on
: hundreds of thousands OF letters
| which somebody was paying for
| when you are trying to get on
from under, you find him down her,
| trying to deceive you,' said tn
: speaker. THE fact that the jobber
| and railroads are against the bill
5 ought to make you line up in ia
| vOr of it,
Where Mankato Would Benefit.
Under the Iowa law Mankat
: would be paying a freight rate O
? II cents per 100 pounds on flou
t to Minneapolis, instead of 81 cents
/, as it does now. The Mankato rat
!. on wheat would be IT cents to s.
| Paul. The rate on barley woul
, be Go cents to the cities, while tn
| rate is now cents. The lumber rat
. from the cities into Mankato is noN
9 cents, but under the Iowa law
. would be So cents. The rate o
! hogs is 1875 cents but under tn
: Iowa law it would be 1G.S cent.
I Under the Iowa law there would b
t a saving of 3 cents on flax an
4 wheat, and 81 cents on barley frOI
J. MankatO to Duluth; and the rate o
t soft coal would be $1.26 a ton il
stead of $1.60 from Duluth to MAJ
e katO. The rate on structural iro
G from Duluth to the twin cities
J. rs cents, and from these cities [
/. Austin 1876 cents. The rate frOl
Chicago to the twin cities. 400 mile
a is ii cents. No wonder no man,
|. featuring can be done anywhere e
d cept in the twin cities. Nearly ever
= railroad in the state radiates in an
G out of the twin cities, and they e