1. That we have assurance from the officers of the W. W. R. R. Co. that they fully intend to do everything in their power to comply with the law and to accommodate their patrons.

2. That the W. W. and the C. M. &. St. Paul Ry. Co.'s are now negotiating for the settlement of terms in accordance with which they are to make a division of earnings; which, when completed, will do away with the illegal practice of computing the rates, not from where the freight was originally received, (the evident intent of the law), but from the point where each company received it. 3. That both of the said companies have already agreed to obey the law as to pre-payments.

The non-supply of cars as demanded is a more difficult matter to deal with, for obvious reasons. So long as the officers of the companies tell us that they supply cars to the best of their present ability, while their nearly bankrupt condition prevents their enlarging facilities, we can do but little to relieve their patrons unless it can be shown beyond a question that they really fail to do the best they can; in which case they would have to be dealt with under the laws relating to the obligations of common carriers-a slow remedy, yielding nothing in the end more than actual damages. I shall be at Hudson next week, and then give personal attention to your interests.

Very respectfully, yours,

M. PEDRICK, Fairchild.

JOHN W. HOYT,
Commissioner.

M. Pedrick to Commissioner Hoyt.

RIPON, WIS., August 16, 1875.

DEAR SIR.-I finally succeded in getting one M. & St. P. car, and loaded it for this place. The roads charge on this car $32 for one hundred eighty-eight miles, which is $6 over charge. This is $3 less than previously charged for the same distance. The W. W. R. R. charge $12 and the M. & St. P. R. R. $20, making $3 less on the W. W. end for sixty-four miles, and the same old rate of $20 on the M. & S. P. end for the one hundred twenty-four miles. I have made a tender of the $26, which is the legal rate, and demand the lumber. Mr. Britt telegraphs the agent here to demand the

full rate, and, if I don't pay it, to unload the lumber and hold it for the freight.

I want the lumber for immediate use. What shall I do about it? I think it is time something should be done, and if the commissioners have no power to do anything, it is time the people should know it.

Yours, respectfully,

J. W. HOYT, Esq., Commissioner.

M. PEDRICK.

Telegram from Commissioner Hoyt to S. S. Merrill.

OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS,
MADISON, August 17, 1875.

To S. S. MERRILL, GENERAL MANAGER:

Mr. M. Pedrick, of Ripon, complains that your agent there refuses delivery of a car load of lumber, on account of non-payment of charges in excess of legal rates. Please have the matter righted. JOHN W. HOYT.

Commissioner.

Commissioner Hoyt to M. Pedrick.

OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS,

MADISON, August 17, 1875.

un

DEAR SIR: Your letter of the 16th is at hand. You should derstand that the Commissioners are themselves without power to enforce the law by proceedings in the courts. It is only by moral influence, and by laying grievances before the Attorney-General, that we can accomplish anything in the righting of wrongs in the nature of illegal charges. The Attorney-General (now absent for some days) has been embarrassed by the repeated assurance of railroad officials that they purposed a compliance with the law. I have telegraphed the substance of your letter to General Manager Merrill, at Milwaukee, asking him to set the matter right. I think he will do so. If not, it will become our duty to lay the complaint before the Attorney-General upon his return, and recommend that legal proceedings be instituted at once.

You understand, of course, that you can bring suit in your own name-the only remedy the framers of the law seem to have contemplated. I still hope that this will be unnecessary.

When at Hudson, last week, I was informed that the officers of the C. M. & St. Paul R'y. Co., and of the West Wisconsin R'y Co., were then in conference on the subject of making legal through tariffs for freight passing over both their lines, and that they were likely to arive at a mutually satisfactory result.

Very respectfully,

M. PEDRICK, Esq., Ripon.

JOHN W. HOYT,
Commissioner.

Commissioner Hoyt to President H. H. Porter.

OFFICE OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS,

MADISON, August 17, 1875.

DEAR SIR: As it has been represented to us, all along, until now, that shippers on your road, with scarcely more than a single exception were satisfied with charges made by your company, I am surprised to learn from your communication of the 14th inst., just received, that "there would seem to be a disposition on the part of every one shipping on the West Wisconsin Railway to demand the exact rates under the Potter-law,"

We have no reason to doubt the representations made by you of the financial condition of the West Wisconsin Railroad Company, but do not see how we can grant you any relief, or that we can safely make so much as a recommendation to that end.

We have deemed it our duty to deal as leniently as circumstances would warrant with all corporations manifestly needing the relief which the last legislature intended to grant them. But there are some provisions of the law so perfectly plain and reasonable, that we have no alternative, even if we desired one, but to insist on a compliance with them.

Among them is this provision, that "in computing the rates for carrying any freights, the distance for carrying such freight shall be computed from where it is (was originally) received, notwithstanding it may pass from one railroad to another." In many cases, the total of charges made by two or more connecting com

panies, where each company charges the rates allowed for a first haul, amounts to considerably more than the same companies demanded before the passage of the "Potter-law."

Certainly this disregard both of the law and of consistency and conceded justice will not be patiently submitted to by the public, nor should it be overlooked by the State authorities.

We have been led to hope that your company, as well as others, would co-operate with the "A" companies, in making a satisfactory solution of this vexed question. Indeed, when at Hudson, week before last, I was informed that officers of your own and of the C. M. & W. P. R. R. company were in conference on the subject, with a prospect of reaching a satisfactory result.

But a dispatch just received from Milwaukee informs me that nothing as yet has been accomplished. Do you deem an equitable division of earnings between the several corporations impracticable? Yours, very truly,

JOHN W. HOYT,

Commissioner.

M. Pedrick to Commissioner Hoyt.

RIPON, August 30, 1875. DEAR SIR-Have you heard anything further from the railroad managers?

In your communication of the 17th instant, you stated that you had telegraphed to Mr. Merrill, asking him to set matters right. The railroad agent here has unloaded my car of lumber, and refuses to let me have it without full charges. I have been waiting to hear from them that matters had been arranged, but nothing seems to have been done. Of course I am aware that I can commence legal proceedings, but I have been repeatedly assured that unless the railroads complied with the law, as they had promised to, that the authorities would take the matter in hand, and prosecute.

I wish now to come directly to the point, and to know whether or not I may expect any thing from those in authority, in this matter.

Yours, truly,

J. W. HOYT, Esq.,
Commissioner.

M. PEDRICK.

Commissioner Hoyt in reply.

MILWAUKEE, September 1, 1875. DEAR SIR: Your letter of the 30th ultimo received. I have just come from a very satisfactory interview with Messrs. Alexander Mitchell, president, and J. C. Gault, assistant general manager, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, at which it was agreed by them that your car-load of lumber, improperly held for non-pay ment of charges at local rates, should be released, and that hereafter the agents of their company will demand on delivery of through freight, coming from other lines, no more than its proportion of the legal through rates, regardless of the compliance or non-compliance with the law by other companies operating connecting lines.

So far as the A roads are concerned this appears to be a final settlement of the vexed question of a pro-rata division of earnings between companies interchanging freight-a result we have long tried to secure, and one that can hardly fail of being very gratifying to you.

By the evening train I visit Chicago, to see what president Porter can do on behalf of the West Wisconsin Railroad Company.

DEAR SIR-Herewith I beg to hand you impression copy of a letter that I have to-day sent to Mr. Swan, with the request that he show it to M. Pedrick.