Morris tribune., 1913-03-14
A CHATTY LETTER
Rep. Carlson Writes of Dista nee
Tariff and Other Matters.
st. Paul. March 5, 1913

House to-day. The Minnette and
Holmberg telephone bill was special
order of today. The Bell Company
made hard fight against the bill.
The bill passed with 1O3 for the bill
and against. The bill looks good
to me and if it becomes law will be
for the best interests of the people of
the state.
The Senate after a 5 hour hard
tight passed the eastman Distance
tariff bill and the House being likely
to do so at any time. have before me
. petition signed by 90 citizens in
my district. who in half hearted way
request me to use all honorable means
TO defeat the passage of the eastman
distance tariff bill. The undersigned
appreciate and fully realize the fact
that it is an utmost impossibility for
any one to fully learn the facts in
connection with said bill nor its ulti-
mate effect upon the state of Mime
sofa if enacted into law" / feel
however that the present rate system
is indefensible and that eastman bill is
right in principle and that being the
case it will work out its own salvation
shall vote tor the bill and will try
TO give my reason for so doing.
Were one to estimate the amount
OF money, time and influence being
spent to defeat this measure, the
total would be stupendous. Page
advertisements are appearing almost
daily in the twin city papers against
the measure, signed by twin CITY
people, and business men of the state
who depend almost entirely upon the
railroads. contracting corporations and
the big cities for their business. VAR
ious railroads are sending out agents
to the smaller towns to create senti-
nent against the eastman bill, and
the railroads are attempting to throw
the scare into the people that the bill
will increase the freight rates.
Clearly no such bitter and expensive
fight would be Lwaged BY the railroads
-. / s- {.
and the manufacturing and Joining
interests Of st. Paul and Minneapolis
unless an enormous loss to them was
certain to follow the enactment of the
eastman bill into law. And equally
clear should it be that if those in.
teVests are to suffer the balance of
the state and the common people will
profit. I'll claim made by those who
are lighting the bill that they are do
ing it for the good of the state at
large is simply ridiculous subterfuge.
These interests are not in the habit of
spending money and fighting for 9TH
ers. ~
Clearly. by their own acts these in.
terests are proving that the enactment
into law of the eastman distance
tariff bill is of the most vital impor-
tance to the whole state outside OF
the twin cities.
But let US look for moment at the
argument they advance relative tC
the injury a distance tariff law would
do certain small towns. What they
say is true if the manufacturing and
jobbing interests are forever to be
forced to Minneapolis and st. Pau
through the discriminating rates
granted these centers by the railroads.
But it is for the express purpose of pre-
venting this Capitalization that the
eastman bill is framed, and wher
this is prevented as it certainly will
be the great number of little town!
will not be forced to go to the. twir
cities for everything they need bu
can have it shipped from the new
manufacturing and trade centers tina
will spring up in all the larger town.
Throughout the state. Thus instead O.
being forced to pay freight charge'
for distance of 200 or 800 miie
from the twin cities the same good
can be bought and shipped from ad
joining towns under the low ant
f. equal rates compelled by the distance
tariff law. The best, the tairest ant
squarest newspapers in the state arr
for the Eastman bill.
Some days ago the legislative bodl
visited the new states prison. Th'
plans of the new prison are in linz
with and abreast of the best thought OF
modern prison architecture and wher
completed will be one of the best anc
most modern prisons in the Unite
States if not in the world. 1t is ;
palace. The system is planned OF
modern sanitary lines and is ample
for meeting every requirement o
health protection. according to scienti
fic methods. According to moderl
ideas. prison is not merely a plac
in which law-breakers are punished
indefinitely, but rather place il
which to confne them until such
time as they can be set at libert.