The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-06-12
Possibility Of New Trial of Cases
: 0'Brien Says That Decision Of
~: Court is Plain.
NO FIGHT ON CENT FARE
Railroads May Technically Delay Dis
missal Of Injunction Suits As
serts st. Paul Attorney.
AGREEMENT BINDS 500 LINE
Must Put in New Rates Unless the
Northern Pacific Get Another
Chance From Supreme Court.

for rehearing by the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific roads and the
possibility that the st. Paul road
and the Northwestern lines may ask
for trial Of their rate cases which
are pending in the circuit court, still
remain before the victory of the state
in the railroad cases is complete.
r. D. O'Brien, counsel for the state
in the cases, declares that while tech
nically the roads could delay the
dismissal of the injunction suits, the
decision of the Supreme Court was so
plain he did not see what the roads
would gain by fighting the cases fur
Their. -
;, AS far as the 500 line is concerned,
there was a stipulation between its
attorneys and attorneys for the
state that it would abide by the de-
cision in the Northern Pacific case,
SO this line will put in the rates I'M
less the Northern Pacific gets a re-
hearing. A. H. Bright, general
counsel for the road said he thought
this stipulation settled the matter as
thermore, the 500 line meets the
Great Northern and Northern Paci-
fic in SO many competing points that
it could not successfully maintain
higher rates than those two roads.
Railroad men generally say the op-
position was not SO much to the two
cent fare as to the commodity rates.
Atwo-eent fare will mean an increase
of business which may actually In
crease revenues, or at; least make the
net loss Insignificant. A cut in
freight rates, on the other hand,
brings very little if any new bust
ness and makes big cut in reve-
nues.
The action of the St. Paul and
Northwestern lines, of course, will
govern the action of the weaker
roads. The Minneapolis & St. Louis
road is, by the courts decision, per-
mitted to charge higher rates, but
competition will compel it to make
low rates to get business. The Chi
cago Great Western, the states at
torneys admit, might make as good a
case as the St. Louis road, but COM
petition will govern this roads action
also. The Rock Island is not classed
as a weak road, although its Mime
sofa business is not large. This road
also has so. many competing points
that it will have to be governed by
what the other roads do. The Bur-
lingt0n and other roads named in the
suits have comparatively little mil
cage in the state. =.
The "weaker" road, if anything,
would like to put a lower rate than
the other roads. In fact the Great
Western and the St. Louis roads have
been trying for six months to get per-
mission of the Western Passenger as
ISOLATION for differential of 50 from
the Twin Cities to Chicago and
Omaha on the ground that with their
longer lines they are unable to get
any through business If rates are the
same. y )
What the roads will do will not
be known, until the decision of the
Supreme Court is transmitted to the
circuit court in St. Paul for dismis.
sal, which may take ten days, after
which the roads affected have thirty
days in which to ask for a2rehearing