564 



MINNESOTA. 



MINNESOTA. The most important meas- 

 ures passed by the Legislature, which was in 

 session during the early part of the year, were 

 a tax law and " an act creating a Board of Rail- 

 road Commissioners, denning their duties and 

 providing for the establishment of maximum 

 rates for the transportation of passengers and 

 freight upon the railroads of this State, and to 

 prevent extortion and unjust discrimination of 

 railroad corporations or their employ6s, and 

 to prescribe a mode of procedure and rules of 

 evidence in relation thereto." 



The commissioners were required to make 

 for each company in the State before the 1st 

 of August "a schedule of reasonable maximum 

 rates of charges, for any and all distances, for 

 the transportation of freight of all kinds and 

 quantities, and passengers and cars on each of 

 said railroads, as well as reasonable maximum 

 rates for receiving, handling, and delivering 

 freights and cars received by them for trans- 

 portation." 



Further powers and duties of the commis- 

 sioners are denned as follows: 



Such commissioners shall, on or before the first 

 day of December in each year, and oftener if re- 

 quired by the Governor so to do, make a report to 

 the Governor of their doings for the preceding year, 

 containing such facts, statements, and explanations, 

 as will disclose the actual workings of the system of 

 railroad transportation in its bearings upon the busi- 

 ness of the State, and such suggestions in relation 

 thereto as may to them seem appropriate. They shall 

 also, at such times as the Governor may direct, ex- 

 amine any particular subject relative to the condition 

 and management of such railroads, and report to him 

 in writing their opinion thereon, with the reasons 

 therefor. 



Said Board of Kuilroad Commissioners shall have 

 power to employ railroad experts, to examine the 

 property, books, records, accounts, papers, and pro- 

 ceedings of all railroad companies ; to issue subpoenas 

 for the attendance of witnesses, and to administer 

 oaths, and take testimony ; and the attendance of 

 witnesses and production of evidence may be en- 

 forced as now provided for by law in causes before ref- 

 erees, and any court or officer authorized by law to 

 issue subpoenas shall, whenever jequested by said 

 Board of Commissioners, issue subpcenas requiring 

 the parties therein named to appear before such Board 

 of Kailroad Commissioners and testify, and any diso- 

 bedience of such subpoena, or refusal to appear and 

 testify thereunto, shall be regarded as a contempt of 

 the court issuing the same, and punished by said 

 court as a contempt. 



Whenever it shall come to the knowledge of said 

 Board of Commissioners, or they shall have reason to 

 believe, that the laws of this State have been or are 

 being violated by any railroad corporations, they 

 shall, whenever in their judgment the public inter- 

 est shall require, cause to be prosecuted all corpora- 

 tions or persons guilty of such violations, and to this 

 end require the assistance of the Attorney-General, 

 or any county attorney or other county officer as may 

 be needed to institute or prosecute any or all such 

 proceedings. 



The political campaign of this year had ref- 

 erence to the election of a Chief and Associate 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, and members 

 of Congress. The Republican State Conven- 

 tion assembled in Minneapolis early in Septem- 

 ber, for the purpose of making judicial nomina- 

 tions. The resolutions adopted favored the judi- 



cious enforcement of all laws for the protec- 

 tion of all. classes of citizens of both North and 

 South, and the whole country, against the perils 

 of a new insurrection and a new rebellion ; the 

 preservation of public faith ; the reduction of 

 the public debt ; the preservation of a sound 

 currency against any ruinous inflation that 

 may be inspired by speculative interests ; the 

 earliest possible return to specie payment con- 

 sistent with the just rights of both the debtor 

 and creditor classes ; constant vigilance in hunt- 

 ing out and exposing to public condemnation 

 delinquent officials and corruption in office, re- 

 gardless of party interests and party relations ; 

 tlie opening up of new and cheaper channels 

 of communication by water between the gran- 

 aries of the West and tlie markets of the East ; 

 and, finally, approving the action of Governor 

 Davis in relation to the prosecution of the per- 

 sons charged by the report of the State Com- 

 mittee with defrauding the school-fund. 



The Democratic State Convention met in 

 St. Paul on the 23d of September, and adopted 

 the following platform : 



Whereas, The special occasion which brought the 

 Eepublican party into being has long since ceased to 

 exist, and tnere is not now, and has not been for 

 years, any central animating principle or purpose in 

 that party, except the cohesive principle of public 

 plunder and the settled purpose to retain power by 

 anymeans and at all hazards ; and 



Whereas, To perpetuate its hold upon office, that 

 party has formed alliance with the capital and organ- 

 ized monopolies of the country, and together they 

 purpose to run the Federal and State governments 

 in the interests of the favored classes, by exempting 

 them from all burdens and restraints, and casting 

 the whole crushing weight of onerous taxation upon 

 the masses of the people : therefore, we, representa- 

 tives of the people of the State of Minnesota, who 

 demand a reform in the administration of our Fed- 

 eral Government, having assembled without regard to 

 former parties and former partisan distinction, here- 

 byproclaim the following platform of principles: 



We declare the condition of the Southern States 

 to be largely due to the corrupt rule of carpet-bag 

 politicians, who have plundered and impoverished 

 the people, intensified prejudices of race, and driven 

 communities to the verge of civil war. Knowing 

 that this state of affairs nas been developed during 

 the Administration of President Grant and been fos- 

 tered by the course of the Republican party ; and de- 

 spairing of relief except through a radical change of 

 policy, we demand . 



1. The maintenance of a just and impartial policy 

 toward the people of the South, whereby both races 

 will be protected in all their rights ; the expulsion 

 of the thieves, and perfect equality before the law for 

 all persons without regard to race, color, or political 

 opinion. 



2. A return to gold and silver as a basis of the cur- 

 rency of the country, and resumption of specie pay- 

 ments as soon as public interests will allow. 



3. A tariff for revenue only consistent with an 

 honest administration ; none for protection; no gov- 

 ernment partnership with protected monopolies. 



4. Home rule to limit and localize most zealously 

 the few powers intrusted to public servants, munici- 

 pal, State, and Federal. No centralization. 



5. Equal and exact justice to all men. No partial 

 legislation ; no partial taxation. 



6. A free press. No gag-laws. 



7. Free men ; uniform exercise of the laws. No 

 sumptuary laws. 



8. Official accountability enforced by better civil 



