Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-07
President RaouI and Interstate
Commerce.

road, in pamphlet OF % pages, has an
swered humber of questions submitted
70 him by the United states Senate Select
Committee on Interstate Commerce, Of
which Senator Cullom is Chairman. This
committee has been pretty fully occupied
since the adjournment of Congress IN
gathering information and listening to
opinions relative to Interstate commerce.
II has visited the leading cities of the
North, but has not found time to come
South. II is, however, seeking informa-
ton in the South through the medium of
written questions.
We have already on several occasions
( noted the general character Of the ques-
tons and given the chief points in the re-
plies that the committee received in New
York, Boston and Chicago.
1t is understood, of course, that this
question Of the regulation of Interstate
! commerce is one of the most important
now pending before Congress. 1t has been
pushed into prominence by many years Of
persistent and hard work, chiefly by
Judge Reagan, Of Texas. Senator Gull
lon, Of Illinois, is trying to link his name
to this question in the Senate, as Judge
Reagan has linked his to it in the House.
There is no doubt that both the Senator
and the Representative will do their ut
most to get their respective bills passed
by the next Congress. Unless they can
harmonic their views it is probable that
they will defeat each others purpose, and
that there will be no interstate commerce
legislation for long time.
Before answering the questions pro-
pounded by the committee Mr. RaOul in
| dulges n some general observations, the
points OF which do not appear to have
been suggested by any of the railroad man.
ayers who have appeared before the com
mittee. For instance, he says:
Only study of the subject of
railway transportation, and the extent
to which the State can properly and eco
nomically exert an influence upon II, i'm
presses me with grave doubts Of the eX-
istence, in the present status Of railway
affairs, Of any middle ground between
freedom Of action on the part Of the own
ers of the roads in conducting their bust
ness and State ownership, or a guarantee
Of profits by the State, which would prac-
tically be ownership, and possibly more
Objectionable in its character than out
right ownership"
Mr.. Raoul takes the broad ground that
either railroad owners must be allowed to
manage their roads just as any citizen is
allowed to manage his business ana
property, or else the State must take con
troll Of the roads. He sees no place for
government supervision short of govern
ment control, BE, of course, does not
mean to be understood that railroads are
not to be amenable to the general laws of
the country Just as other kinds of cor
pOrations are.
He presents this argument: 1t has been
decided to rely upon private capital TO
build railroads and to depend upon those
who use them to support them. Discrimi-
nation may be necessary for the support
of the roads. A uniform tariff system
would lessen the income from them. The
income from all the roads of the
country does not now pay moro
than a fair interest on their cost
of construction. Under the present
system OF railroad management those
who use the roads bear the bur
den of supporting them. If uni
form tariff system were adopted the
railroad owners-a very small class of the
community would have to bear this bur
den. That is they would have to contrib
ute the difference between what the
roads now earn and what they would earn
under the uniform system. Ii. however, "A
uniform tariff system must be adopted,
land not at the expense alone Of those
who use the roads, but, from broader con-
siderations, at the expense OF the whole
State, those owning the roads bearing as
other citizens only their pro rata part, then
it comes to ownership or guarantee of
profits by the State"
Owned by the government the roads
could be run on a uniform tariff system
basis just as the Post Office Department
is run. The thickly populated sections of
the country now support the mail service
of the thlnly populated sections, and in
the same way the thickly populated sec
tions would support the railroads of the
thinly populated sections. Mr.. Raoups
points are well made, and are certainly
calculated to attract attention.
A Lively Debate Promised