Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-01
A DIficnIt Question to Handle.

A Difficult Question to Handle.
The Senate Committee, which for sew
eral weeks has been gathering inforna-
ton in Northern cities respecting the
management of railroads, with the view
of enlightening the Senate upon the ques-
ton Of the advisability Of placing inter-
State railroads under the control of the
government, has listened to a great varie-
ty of opinions from intelligent men rep
resenting the business and railroad inter-
ests Of the country. There is no question
that the committee is in as much doubt
now about the kind of legislation that
would be beneficial to all parties inter-
ested as it was before it began to take
testimony and hear opinions.
The question of government control Of
interstate RAILROADS is of such great i'm
portarce, and so much can be said on both
sides of it, that it is not to be wondered at
that the Senate committee finds great
difficulty in getting hold of anything that
meets with general acceptance. In New
York, for instance, some of the largest
merchants said that what was wanted
was not 50 much low traffic rates as uni
form rates-rates that would not bear
harder upon one individual than another, or
upon one town than another. The rail-
roads have it in their power to ruin
merchants or towns by discriminating
against them in their rates. There are
not waning instances where this power
has been mercilessly exercised. Others
said that a law was needed that would
prevent a higher rate from being
charged for short than for
long haul. Still others wanted
law against paying dividends on wat
cred stock, and commission to decide
when and where new lines of railroads
should be built.
These instances are sufficient to show
that the views upon the question at issue
are as varied as are the interests of those
who express them. The well-known rail
road men, Mr.. Albert Fink and George r.
Blanchard, said that they had not the
least hesitation in saying that they IA
vored, to a limited extent, government
control of the interstate railroads, be-
cause the railroads needed protection
against ruinOus competition.
Mr.. links idea is that the railroads
ought to be allowed to fix the rates among
themselves, because they alone know at
what rates they can do business profit
ably, but he wants the government to guar
antee that these rates shall be lived up to
after they have been accepted by the roads
in the pool.
The pooling system that has been in
use so long protects roads from the
competition Of the roads in the pool, but
there is another kind of competition that
has proven to be more injurious than that
which the pooling system guards against.
1t is the competition between the pooling
roads and roads not in the pool, or be-
tween two pools, or between pools and
capitalists who build competing lines.
No question that has come before the
country in years has been surrounded by
so many difficulties. To every plan
that has been proposed for preventing
determinations and to secure absolute
fairness to the shippers, objections, SEEM
ingly insurmOuntable, have been raised.
The question Will be discussed in Con-
gress, at great length doubtless, next
winter. 1t has already been discussed so
extensively that there would seem to be
nothing new to be said upon it.
1t is hardly probable that the committee
will have anything to recommend in the
way of legislation when Congress meets.
1t will probably content itself with re-
porting the testimony taken and the
papers read at its sessions.