Year: 1879

the suggestion is made whether it is not
desirable to prohibit by law any agent or
servant of railroad company from business
competition in merchandise to be trans
ported over its road, and to provide against
discrimination in favor of individuals. The
attention of the legislature is called to the
attempt being made by the railroad COM
missioners of the various States to secure
uniform system of railroad bookkeeping in
aid of the authenticity and value of returns
made to commissioners.


While in ordinary circumstances competi-
ton is the life of trade, in the management
of railroads it is often it's destruction. We
have seen within the past few months all the
trunk lines from St. Louis, Chicago and
Cincinnati to the East carrying passengers to
New York, Boston and Philadelphia at
merely nominal rates, the fare having been
reduced at one time as low as a dollar from
Cincinnati to New York. This business
was, of course, conducted at a loss, and tnat
loss had to be made up by the companies by
the imposition of an additional tax upon
passengers who embarked at intermediate
stations. The numerous freight wars be-
tween railroads for the trade of their ter
minal points have been an advantage to
shippers at New York and Chicago
but a serious injury to those at intermediate
stations, upon whom the losses on the
through traffic were imposed. In this re-
spect, therefore, competition by railroads for
through traffic is decided injury to the pub
lie, and i. is well to debate the question of
whether or not such competition should be
permitted.


! The Legislatures of some of the Western
States have attempted to regulate the rates
| to be charged by railroads for passenger
and freight transportation with view to
the prevention of such determinations as
Gov. Crosswell complains of. They have met
with only indifferent success, Wisconsin,
Iowa and Illinois having abandoned the
attempt altogether. A case involving the
right of the legislature of Minnesota to reg
ulate rates of transportation was taken be-
fore the supreme court of the United States,
and decision rendered affirming that right.
| The railroad companies uniformly resist any
attempt to interfere with what they denomi-
nate their corporate rights, one of
which they esteem to be the right to
discriminate in favor of or against whatever
| cities, towns, or individuals they may choose.
Happily the State of Minnesota has not sur
rendered as much to these corporations as
have our sister States, and as consequence
the legislature has complete legal
right to exercise control over them. It
may not be necessary for cur legis-


lature to take any further action in the mat
ter of regulating freight and passenger rates
on railroads, but it can do no harm to keep
the matter in view, and to consider the best
measures to prevent extortion and discrim-
| lnation, if any shall be found to be prac.
tlced. So much of our own prosperity de-
pends upon our ability to obtain a cheap
means of access to the markets of the sea-
board, that the question is of the utmost
Importance. The railroads can stimulate
or retard the development of our State more
than any other agency, and the people must
be invested with power to protect themselves
from any injustice they may attempt, or be
content to be their slaves.