The Northern Pacific Bows to Regulation
After fighting state intervention, the Northern Pacific Railroad decides to comply with the Anderson Rate Bill to appease local farmers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Northern Pacific will not fight the Anderson rate bill passed by the last legislature, but will promptly accede to its provisions when it goes into effect on June 1. In a letter to Governor John H. McGraw, General Manager William S. Mellen stated that while the company does not consider the rates fair or compensatory for the difficult conditions of Washington railway operations, they have decided to obey. Mellen noted that the price of grain had been low for some time, leading to discontent among the farming element, and that they received assurances that compliance would create a better feeling toward the railway interests of the state.
“We have received assurances that if we would submit to this act and publish our tariffs accordingly, it would create a much better feeling toward the railway interests of the state.”
This reflects the ongoing tug-of-war between public interest and corporate infrastructure—a struggle that defined the early days of Washington statehood and persists today in battles over utility rates and corporate accountability in Seattle.
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