CURBING THE RAILROADS 55 



whenever they found an opportunity to make the 

 new laws appear obnoxious in the eyes of the people, 

 were not slow to seize it. That section of the Illi- 

 nois law of 1873 which prohibited unjust discrimi- 

 nation went into effect in July, but the maximum 

 freight rates were not fixed until January of 1874. 

 As a result of this situation, the railroads in July 

 made all their freight rates uniform, according to 

 the law, but accomplished this uniformity by rais- 

 ing the low rates instead of lowering the high. In 

 Minnesota, similarly, the St. Paul and Pacific road, 

 in its zeal to establish uniform passenger rates, 

 raised the fare between St. Paul and Minneapolis 

 from three to five cents a mile, in order to make it 

 conform to the rates elsewhere in the State. The 

 St. Paul and Sioux City road declared that the 

 Granger law made its operation unprofitable, and 

 it so reduced its train service that the people peti- 

 tioned the commission to restore the former rate. 

 In Wisconsin, when the state supreme court af- 

 firmed the constitutionality of the radical Potter 

 law, the railroads retaliated in some cases by carry- 

 ing out their threat to give the public "Potter cars, 

 Potter rails, and Potter time." As a result the 

 public soon demanded the repeal of the law. 

 In all the States but Illinois the Granger laws were 



