sions of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway to make proper connections at Portage City; also alleging that there is not such frequency of trains on the said Northern Division of said railway as is demanded by the interests of the traveling public. In pursuance of your request, the attention of the officers of the C., M. and St. P. Ry. Co. has been called to the matter, and I doubt not that immediately steps will be taken to remove all just cause of complaint. Very respectfully, A. H. EDWARDS, JOHN W. HOYT, Commissioner. Sec. Dodge Co. Council, P. of H. Manager S. S. Merrill, to Commissioner Hoyt. OFFICE CHICAGO, MIL. & ST. PAUL. R. R. Co., DEAR SIR:-Replying to your fovor of the 7th, I would say, the complaint received by you from parties in Dodge County was no doubt made previous to the publication of our winter arrangement of trains on the northern division, taking effect on the 5th inst. For a short time previous to that date we were compelled to discontinue trains Nos. 9 and 10 on account of lack of business sufficient to warrant running them. At the request of several business men on that line, we resumed the running of those trains on the 5th inst., taking through freight off of La Crosse division trains for that purpose. I dare say the party or parties who made the complaint to you are satisfied with the present arrangement of our trains on that division. I desire to state that our plan of running passenger trains on the northern division is the best we can adopt for the accommodation of the people residing, and doing business on that division. We do not have business enough to run more than one passenger train each way daily; and we run that train so that people living at Oshkosh, Berlin, Winnconne, Portage and Beaver Dam can leave home in the morning, reach Milwaukee at 12:30 p. m., and have nearly three hours to attend to business, and return home the same night, leaving Milwaukee at 3 p. m. This arrangement is greatly to the advantage of a large majority of the people who wish to travel on the road. Our leaving Portage before the La Crosse division train arrives from the west is bad; but still it is a matter of necessity; the distance via. Horicon being greater than via. Watertown, we are compelled to leave earlier than the train which runs ria. Watertown, because trains from Oshkosh, Berlin, and Winneconnee unite with the Portage train at Horicon and form one train through to Milwaukee, and we must arrive there in season to connect with the Chicago train. Moreover, the people of Beaver Dam and other stations in Dodge County desire to arrive in Milwaukee as early as possible, so as to have sufficient time to transact business and return home the same afternoon. Not being able, therefore, to hold our passenger train at Portage until the train from the west arrives, we have now put on a mixed train, Nos. 9 and 10, which makes connections at Portage with both the east and west bound trains on the La Crosse division. I am certain that the business men of Beaver Dam and other stations on the Horicon line are well satisfied with our present arrangement of trains. As to running one of our St. Paul trains via. that line, instead of by way of the Watertown line, we cannnot do it and make our through connections. Yours, truly, S. S. MERRILL, General Manager. Commissioner Hoyt to A. H. Edwards. OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS, DEAR SIR.-I have this moment received a letter from General Manager S. S. Merrill, of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company, in answer to mine of late date, written in the interest of yourself and other complainants. We infer from the statements therein made that the arrangments tately perfected will remove the princpal grounds of complaint, and that the explanation given for non-connection of passenger trains on the La Crosse Division with eastward-bound trains on the Northern Division, will be accepted by you as reasonable. That the managers of the railway company may be fully represented, I enclose herewith a copy of Manager Merrill's letter. Should the explanations therein made be less than satisfactory, have the goodness to notify me of the exceptions taken, in order that further effort may be made by the Commission, in behalf of complainants. Very respectfully, JOHN W. HOYT, A. H. Edwards to Commissioner Hoyt. BEAVER DAM, December 11, 1875. DEAR SIR.-Your favor of the 7th inst, was received on the evening of the 9th inst, also your kind favor containing General Manager S. S. Merrill's favor to you of the 9th instant was received by last evening's mail. The explanations made and the alterations therein reported I doubt not will prove satisfactory to most if not all interested, as I trust no one desires to be unreasonable in his complaints. Thanking you for your prompt action, I remain as ever, A. H. EDWARDS, Secretary. CONCERNING RAILWAY REPORTS. D. M. Kelly to the Commissioners. OFFICE OF GREEN BAY AND MINNESOTA R. R. Co., GENTLEMEN:-Your communication of July 29th, to H. Ketcham, Esq., president of this company, has been forwarded to me, and I have to answer as follows: Before referring directly to the subject matter of your letter, let me give you some little account of the history and present condition of this company. In 1871 forty miles of our road were built and put in operation; in 1872 one hundred and ten miles more of the road were constructed and put in operation; in 1873, sixty-one miles more were constructed, and in December of that year the road was first operated through to the Mississippi at Winona. The company had no land-grant, and from the local aid obtained from municipal corporations realized less than $2,000 a mile of road built. The road was constructed rapidly, through a new and sparsely settled country, and since its completion the company has had to contend with hard-times and adverse State legislation; and the latter cause far more than the former has prevented an extension west of the Mississippi, which promised much to that part of the the State through which this road runs, as well as to the company itself. From the first to the present time the earnings of the road have not been sufficient to meet the operating expenses, and the five millions of dollars (about) which the road has cost, in cash, has so far been entirely unproductive to the directors. This much that you may understand our situation at the present time. You now ask this company to make to you a report during the present month, giving you in detail full infomation regarding its condition, cost of its road, repairs, business, contracts, etc., etc. We have always been obliged to study and practice economy in our office expenses, as well as in other particulars, and our accounts have not been kept in a way to enable us to fill out the report required by you without great labor, expenditure of much time and employment of extra help, and we are not in a condition to be put to such expense. It would take six clerks at least a month to fill up the details, and get our accounts in shape to fill the items of the report, and we have not the means to pay for their services. The force now in the general office is barely sufficient to do the current business of the company, and to further reduce expenses a reduction of the force is to be made during the present month. Our books and papers are open to your examination; and the hard times, and particularly the adverse legislation for the past two winters in this State have imposed so many burdens on us, in common with all other new roads, that we rather court than avoid scrutiny of our affairs and condition, knowing that investigation will show how foolish and destructive to its best interest has been the policy of this State in inaugurating and adhering to a system of legislation which has crippled and stunted great and important enterprises, instead of extending to them wise, generous, and encouraging protection and support. I am, gentlemen, respectfully yours, D. M. KELLY, Commissioner Hoyt to D. M. Kelly, in reply. OFFICE OF RAILOAD COMMISSIONERS, MADISON, WIS., August 13, 1875. DEAR SIR:-Your letter of the 11th inst., in reply to ours of the 29th of July, requesting a report from your company, in conformity with the blank form previously forwarded, is at hand. We understand pretty well the financial condition of your company, and fully appreciate the skill and economy with which its road has been constructed and managed. We have also pointed out the serious objections that may be urged against the "Potter-law," and are free to admit, that this law has been made the occasion of such representations and misrepresentations as have increased the difficulty of borrowing money for railroad purposes. But inasmuch as the law has only in a very small degree affected your receipts, and the misrepresentations which have damaged the credit of the State are largely the fruit of unwisdom on the part of railroad officials, we are unable to see matters in just the light in which they evidently appear to you. As you will see by our published report, as well as by our several communications and the blank form herein referred to, we attach great importance to full and explicit reports from all railroad companies. Had such reports been made by them from the beginning many errors into which some companies have fallen would have been avoided, and it is even probable that the radical legislation of which you complain would not have been. The people are naturally jealous and suspicious of great corporations, and certainly the easiest way to disarm them is by making the fullest possible showing of all business transactions. It is upon this theory that we have adopted the form of report approved by the Commissioners of Illinois, Minnesota and Wiscon |