The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-25

Continued From Page One.
ice for Valley City, n permitted the
exposition special to be transferred to
the high line.
1t is true that Judge Amidon did not
say that a less number of trains than
three might not have furnished ade-
quate service, yet it is apparent from
a reading of the opinion that it was
only because of the amount Of service
then given that he agreed to the re-
moval of the exposition special as stat
ed and at hat time two of the three
| through trains ia service carried sleep
| ers and ran from st. Paul through to
the coast or to points in Montana n
| Idaho, n the third, known as he
| Minnesota and Dakota local, was oper-
ated between jamestown and st. Paul.
1t is also true that Judge Amldon's oWn
decision, afterwards made. stating that
he had no Jurisdiction Of the subject
matter, rendered this introductory de-
cree of no value as a precedent, yet
this commission Is not disposed to tg-
more the importance of Judge Amidon'S
view of the situation.
The hearing at Valley City on Jan. 9,
1913, was given a wide latitude, and
many things were brought up and dis
cussed which ave no bearing on the
main issue in this case, such as the
question whether the company intend
ed or threatened to remove it's entire
train service to the high line, or wheth-
er it always intended to furnish ade-
quate service on the low line, or wheth-
er it intended at all times to consult
| the wishes of the majority of the citi-
zens or Of the city council, and wheth-
err the utmost good faith at all times
was exercised, or not. The commits
sion listened patiently to all that was
to be said from every point of view
without imposing any restriction, but
when all was said and done the stu
alton dissolved itself practically into a
question as to what comprised ade-
duate passenger and freight service at
its down town station for a city OF the
size and Importance OF valley City.
The size of the attendance at this
meeting convinced the commission that
the meeting had been properly adVer-
tised and that the entire city was ade-
quately represented, SO tnat the opih-
ion Of those present would reflect the
sentiment of the entire city, AND more
over there was no escape from the con
clusion that the citizens as a whole
are unanimous upon the question as tC
what their needs are. The people Of
Valley City do not wish to have q
divided service such as has been giver
them for some years past, nor do they
wish, not will they be satisfied with
the entire service upon the high line II
the absence of some definite d
standing and agreement as to VIVA
sort Of transportation facilities to tn
high line depot will be furnished them
They are only content with n pres
emit divided service because they feal
that an undivided service down towr
, would not secure them as many trainl
in and out as they now enjoy.
The commission has given careful
consideration of the question of tn,
adequacy of the train service to which
, Valley City is entitled as compared
with other cities of it's W size ant
: Importance within this state and else
where, and is convinced thst n pre-
, sent low line service is inadequate
and that it Is entitled to a service
which would be equivalent to tina
service furnished if the present train
+ Nos. 3 and 4 are stopped at the low
line depot, in addition to the presen
down town service. In reaching TIL
= conclusion we have considered tn
amount of business handled and tn
passenger service through Valley Cit.
, only in a general way, but have giVel
! more attention to the needs or tn
city based upon the character of IT
inhabitants and institutions. Tn
comparative tables furnished h com
mission by counsel show othe
stations with larger passenger re
ceipts but no better service, but SOM
Of the towns have branch lines run
, ming out so that 1t would be impos
+, sibIe to determine whether all of thu
p-asgenger service should be CREDITED
TO the main line trains serving thes'
! towns, or the towns themselves hav,
. some especial claim for increased
train service. The commission feel
that the fact that Valley City has
normal school, a large state institu'
ton with 800 pupils coming and goinl
, to and from all parts OF the STATE
at all times Of the year, gives 1t {
greater Importance for a transporta'
ton point of view than some little
city which has only its local com
mercial interests and agricultural sur
. roundings to support it.
The opinion of Judge Amidon, hold
ing that three trains are suf1cien
i for Valley City, and holding, as w
think, that less than three trains
, would be insufficient for Valley City
? was based upon h train service II
! force and in effect at that time, which
constituted all the company's' trains
1 with one exception; in fact the admis,
; sion of Judge Young, counsel for thu
4 railway company at the hearing
o would seem to indicate that when thu
! high line was built and put into us'
Z all the time cards of h compan.
showed that Tour trains q q WeTi
. to be operated at the down town sta
: ton. 1t is not sufficient in determin
ing what is adequate train service h
: merely say hat a town or station l
q entitled to one or two or ten trains
: day. The detern1inatiye question i
1 not how many trains, but how good
and the character Of the trains them
: selves is a matter of prime import
ance. While 1t is true that there ar
three trains stopping at Valley Cit,
= today at the down town station, We
1t must be remembered that these ar
not all through trains. For instance
one of the trains, Nos. 119 an
d l120 is a local train operating betweeI
9 Leeds and Fargo which starts no
where and gets nowhere so far a
. Valley City is concerned, and the sam
2 service can be and for many year
was furnished by train numbers Z an
s which runs from st. Paul to Glen
n dive and return, The Leeds train 1
not a train ofilcially recognized b
g this commission and is only bein
> operated on s~ufferance and we cannc
. recognize 1t in determining the ad
z equacy of the service of Valley City
8 Train Nos. Z and 8 furnishes locs
service between local points in Mort
Dakota, and also furnishes an even