.''A-* A
rash®
Austin, Mower County, Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 5,
FARMER BEN'S
COLUMN
Minnesota gets it in the neck worse
and woroer. Now cometh the federal
supreme court and decides that the
state reciprocal demurrage law is in
operativ because it's usurped a govern
mental privilege. The courts butted
in to cut off our two cent passenger
fares and now they are at it agen. It's
a shame and disgrace that our state is
made the scapegoat for the whole un
favorable of the railroad influences
workin' thru corrupt officials. Every
other state in the union has a state
railway commission whose authority
the railroads respect and obey. Out in
Nebraska the state commission hav
enforced a maximum freight rate law
for the past five years and hav saved
the shippers $15,000,000 in that time in
reduced tariff. In Iowa and Wisconsin
the commissions ordered two cent rates
years ago and the railroad companies
are now carryin' passengers at that
flgger without a kick. Statistics tend
to show that at the lower rates the
railroads hav made increased profits on
accoant of increased business. Poor
Minnesota don't seem to hay any au
thoritativ officials
Uncle Sam's scientists in the agricul
tural department are beginnin' to wake
up and warne settlers in the arid sec
tions of the west of the danger of
wearin'but lands by irrigation. The
chief of the bureau of plant industry
does not hesitate to say publicly that
there has never been any long con
tinued successful irrigation in a semi
arid climate anywhere in the world.
