Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-30
The Railroad Commission and the
Pool.

Inc HGaIllNaU COMMISSIONS anu AAAO
Pool.
MAJ. Campbell Wallace, member Of the
Georgia Railroad Commission, has given
his views TO the public relative to the
threatened rate war. He takes the
ground that a rate war would not be bene-
fetal to commercial interests or TO the
people of the territory tributary to the
warning lines. He gives reasons why it
would not be beneficial, but as we gave
the same reasons a couple Of weeks ago
/ there is 10 occasion for repeating them.
Mai. Wallace does not believe in the
| pool system as a protection against rate
cutting. He thinks the system is bad be-
cause it is a one-sided affair, and sort of
| ..iron-cIad'' protection TO railroads against
lower rates. In a word, Maj. Wallace
thinks the pool is hostile to the interests
of the people.
! But because Mai. Wallace does not be-
Iieye in the pool it doesn't follow that he
| hasn't a remedy for rate cutting. He has
! a remedy. and he states it as follows:
The remedy ought TO be mainly with
/ the railroads themselves IN the proper
| RECOGNITION Of the rights Of their patrons
/ in giving reliable, open, steady, lust and
| reasonable" rates for persons ana prop
erty. The people will always accept, but
/ have never demanded, ruinOus low rates
/ just and reasonable rates Tor DOtn the
/ railroads and themselves, freedom from
| dictation and rulings as to territory and
| routes. equality in rates as between per-
/ sons, towns and cities, properly regard
/ ing distance. location and iacllltles'
/ natural or artificial or combined, with
/ dispatch and safety in transit, carefulness
| in handling and prOmptness and courtesy
in delivery, is all that is demanded. Let
merit be the test, not cut rates.
This is 4 nice little lecture on the
| duties Of railroad managers, but it is di1i-
cult to ind in it remedy for rate cut
| ting. 1t is easy enough to say that rail-
roads ought to establish just and reason
able rates, and that they ought not to IN
/ derbId each other to get each others
legitimate business, but what does that
amount to: The thing that has to be
/ dealt with is not what railroads ought TO
do, but what they actually do. This
/ mOraIizing has been going on since COM
petition among railroads began, but it
/ hasn't prevented rate wars, and never
VIII.
To be a little more practical and TO come
nearer to the point at issue, what would
| Mai. Wallace advise in the case which IS
expected to arise next Monday: On that
day the East Tennessee, Virginia and
Georgia will withdraw from the peol.
The purpose Of the withdrawal can be
nothing else than a determination to get
a larger share Of the business Of the ter
ritorv which is tributary to COM
peting lines. To get this business
il must offer inducements. 1t IS
stated that it has already or
dered contracts made at lower rates.
What would Mai. Wallace have the Cen
trail dog Allow its business to be taken
from it without an effort? OF course not.
That would be ruInOus. He would advise
the Central. probably, TO seek some ar
rangement with its rival that would avoid
a rate war. But that would be sort OF a
pool, and would be open to the same OBJ
lection that he raises against the pool sys-
TEN.
1t must be plain TO Maj. Wallace, how
ever. than no arrangement can be made
that will not call for heavy concessions
from the Central. The East Tennessee,
/ Virginia and Georgia isn't likely to make
anv Arrangement which will not place it in
a better position than it occupied in the
pool.
From this presentation of the situation
it appears that peace can be had only at
the expense of the Central. Can the
Central afford the price of peace? For
fifteen years it has been purchasing
peace, and if it yields to the demands Of
it's rivals again it is pretty certain to have
new demands made upon it IN the very
near future. When will these demands
cease? When the Central has nothing
more to concede? 1t looks very much
that way. Every concession that the
Central makes lessons its power to resist
future demands. There come times in the
/ career Of nations when diplomacy can do
nothing. The issue has to be settled by
an appeal to arms. Rival roads, when
they cannot agree upon the share of bust
ness to which each is entitled, settle their
| differences by a trial of strength. 1t has
always been So and probably VIII continue
to be so for a good while yet. 1t looks
very much as if the time had come for the
Central to fight. 1t has made concessions
long enough.
Mai. Wallace throws out a sugges-
ton, however, that is worth attention. 1t
is embodied in the following extract from
the interview with HIM:
The people are restrained by law from
trespassing or in anywise Obstructing
railroad corporations in the proper use
and enjoyment Of their rights and prlyl-
leges, and il cannot be denied that the
people ought to be protected against an
! improper. unjust and arbitrary use OF the
privileges and rights granted these cor
| pOratiOns. Georgia has undertaken TO
regulate this matter within her own boz
ders, and to guarantee perfect good falth
and fairness in all commercial inter-
course between these parties, and l i'm
agine if an occasion arises for her inter-
posing between them, or between the rail-
I roads themselves, to prevent damaging
results TO either, it viii be found that her
| laws and her State officials Will be equal
to the emergency.
Mai. Wallace expressly says that he
speaks only for himself in this matter.
and that he has not consulted the other
Commissioners. His suggestion that the
Railroad Commission has the power to
interfere and stop a rate war is novel, to
saw the least Of il. 1t would be rather
raSn. however. 10 uellN ludt tue NoAlAuiS-
sion has such power. Things that are
not set forth in the bond apparently, as
far as Impractical eyes can see,
are often found there by lawyers
and courts. 1t may be that Maj. Wallace
has hit upon the plan to put an end to the
rate war if it should begin. If the Com
mission really has the power to prevent
rates from being placed too low as well as
too high it will take steps, Of course, to
fix the rates of the East Tennessee. Nir-
ginia and Georgia as soon as that road
lowers them beyond what the Commission
thinks is fair and reasonable.
1t would be funny state Of affairs to
see roads that have been railing at the
| Commission for lowering rates rail at it
for prohibiting them from doing the same
I thing of their own accord.
Senator Hoar's Latest.
Senator HOar is making himself very
conspicuous In the campaign. The ag-