The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1916-07-20

Minneapolis. His case drew
the attention of the medical
world. After the treatment he
went to Florida.
In New York, later, Mr.. Lof-
tus consulted DIR. Silas Beebe,
a cancer specialist, and came
back to Minneapolis June 18.
Until within a few days of his
death, at the home of his
brother-in-law, Ray S. Traut-
man, 2129 Como avenue, St.
Paul, Mr.. Lotus still kept up
the fight,
Although Mr.. Lotus has
spent most of the time just
prior to his illness in st. Paul,
he had lived all his life in Min
neapolis. He is survived by
his wife and four children,
Grace 18, Katherine II. Helen
Is and Robert LaFollette Lof-
tus 8: two sisters, Mrs. Ray S.
Trautman, and Mrs. Olga Hob
lie, St. Paul, and his aged faith
er, James Lotus, St. Paul.
The funeral service took
place at 2 p. m. Wednesday at
Gethsemane Episcopal church,
Fourth avenue S and Ninth
street, Of which he was a mem
Der.
George S. LOTUS began his
business career in the freight
department of the Minneapolis
& st. Louis road, becoming an
expert on freight rates before
he reached his majority.
Mr.. LOTUS was born in De
Soto, Wis, Aug. rs, 1873. and
came with his parents to Min
neapolis in 1882. During his
first year in Minneapolis he
worked as a newsboy, but at
10 years of age he got place
as messenger in the freight
department of the Minneapolis
& st. Louis. He was chief
clerk in the department at 20.
Later he went to the St. Paul
& Duluth as assistant general
freight agent. When that road
was absorbed into the Northern
Pacific system, Mr.. Lotus was
give ars old. He decided
, to go into business. and
became associated with l.. F.
Hubbard, former governor, in
the LOTUS Hubbard company.
dealing in grain and hay. The
company first operated in st.
Paul, but later moved it's Off
ces to Minneapolis.
Mr.. Lotus soon came in con-
flict with the railroad compan-
les on rate matters. He first
attacked some of the roads tor
rebating practices securing
the conviction of three roads
for violating the federal law.
He took up the question of
reciprocal demurrage' and
got laws enacted by Minnesota
! and several other states, re-
quiring railroad companies to
pay shippers for delays in furn-
ishing cars, but these laws
were declared invalid by the
courts.
Better success attended Mr..
| LOTUS tilt with the sleeping g
car companies He filed a COM
plant with the interstate COM
merce commission attacking
the prevailing rates for berths
as excessive. This finally re.
suited in an order applying
the country over, making up
per berths 20 per cent cheaper
than lowers Mr.. Lotus
was active in the campaign for
lower freight and passenger
rates in Minnesota, which re-
suited in the rate laws of 1907,
later upheld by the supreme
court of the United States.
He became interested in DO
l1t1cs and came in contact with
X. N. LaFollette, then govern
or and now senator from Wis.
consin. They became warm
personal friends, and in the
campaigns of 1908 and 1912 Mr..
Lotus worked hard for La
Follette's nomination for presi-a
dent. He served for years as
president of the Progressive a
Republican league of Mime
sofa. Mr.. LOTUS backed SEN
ator b. E. Sundberg of Ken
nedy, Minn., in his famous
complaint against excessive
express rates, which resulted q
in sweeping rate reductions
some time before the parcel
post legislation was enacted.
The latter years of Mr.. Lof- /
tus' active work were devoted 4
to work as manager for the !