Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-23

! Interstate Commerce.
A special committee OF the United States
/ Senate is engaged IN gathering informa-
tiou relative 10 the workings Of railway
commissions in the different States, to be
used in connection with the subject OF
Interstate commerce regulation, which
will come before Congress again, in al
probability, next winter.
The failure of the Reagan Interstate
commerce bill in the last Congress hasnot
entirely disheartened the friends Of inter
State commerce legislation. The favor
with which such legislation was regarded
by the last Congress encourages them to
believe that the next Congress Will pass
an Interstate commerce bill.
1t is admitted, of course, that any bill
that may be passed will be merely an eN-
pertinent, and that it Will have to be
modified from time TO time, as its defects
become apparent.
Representative Reagan, of Texas, spent
many years in perfecting the bill which
was defeated last Congress. 1t is prob
able that if it had become a law it would
not have been productive of results that
would have been satisfactory even to its
warmest friends.
The trouble is that those who attempt
to frame laws for the control of the traffic
rates of railways are wholly unacquainted
with the business of managing railways,
aud cannot, therefore, form a correct
opinion of the effect that this or that reg
ulation will have on railway interests.
There is, without doubt, very general
demand throughout the country for legis-
lation that will prevent interstate roads
from making determinations in their
rates, and from charging rates that are
uureasonably burdensome. The railways
Themselves are responsible for their de-
mand, because they have not dealt fairly
and honestly with the public. There are,
however, grave difficulties in the way Of
responding to this demand. For dozen
years or more Congress has been trying
to overcome these difficulties. While
Congress has been endeavOring to frame
a measure for controlling the Interstate
roads, very many of the States have en-
acted laws to control the roads within
their jurisdiction.
In few, if any, Of the States have the
laws regulating railway charges proven
to be satisfactory either to the railways
or the people. Exactly what is needed to
give the people protection against extor-
ton and discrimination without impair
ing the usefulness or prosperity of the
railways does not appear to have been
yet discovered.
The special United States Senate COM
mittee has been studying the New York
railway law and interrogating the New
York railway commission for several
days, and thus far it has not found much
that is encouraging. The New York COM
after several years. expert
ence, differ in their views respecting the
hest way to deal with rail-
ways in order to prevent
the evils of which the people
The Chairman of the New
York commission, Mr.. John d. Herman,
says that the maximum rate laws are OF
little practical value, and that it is con-
coded that pro rata laws are a failure.
Another member of the commission thinks
that there is no way to secure uniformity
Of rates over the railroads of the country
except to permit the roads to agree on the
rates among themselves. A third men,
Der Of the commission said that the con-
mission in New York lacked the necessa-
ry powers to do what ought to be done
10 secure the end aimed at.
The same sort of differences that exist
among the members Of the New York
commission exist, doubtless, among the
members of the commission of other
States. These differences do not show
that 1t is impractlcable and impossible
for States to regulate railway rates sue
but they do show that States
have not vet attained the success they
desire. Itremains to be seen whether the
United States will succeed better than the
States have.