The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-01-19
CULLOM'S BILL
On Inter State Railroad
Transportation.
A SUMMARY OF THE BILL.
Three Volumes of Oral testimony
and a Number of Interesting Pa
pers to be Made Public.

WASHINGTON, January H. senator
Cullom's select committee on inter
State railroad transportation will pro
badly report to the Senate tomorrow
or Tuesday an original inter.Sta com.
merce bill, and at the same time submit
an exhaustive report in its support
The committee, which spent good part
of the summer IN Investigations, have
been holding daily sessions since the
assembling of Congress. In addition
to two or three volumes of oral testl-
mony which the committe has taken IL
its pursuit of information upon the
subject, an appendix containing mum
Der of interesting papers from leading
authorities has been printed for use o.
the committee, and will be made public
with the report. o.
John B. Kirnan, chairman of the New
York Railroad commission, contribute;
statement supplemental to tie views
he expressed orally to the committee
He deals, first, with the history of the
contest between the railroad and its pa
irons in presence OF which history be
says, many crude ideas as to the use
fullness and practicability of rate fix
ing, penal legislation pro rata laws, max
lmum and minimum rate laws, etc., dis
appear and it becomes clear that the
proposed legislation must be broader in
its aims and less disturbing in its action
than that heretofore at times much in
vague. The low through rates OF
to-day, he says, pointed out by
railroads as a reason why no legislation
is needed, have little to do with the
question. There are phases of univer-
sal depression intensified by reckless
and needless railroad construction I'M
necessarily railroads, sooner or later,
become public burdens; they are
neither efficiently maintained nor
operated; nor do they permit competi-
ton to fulfill their public obligations.
Congress cannot apply the remedy
chiefly needed. The State, whose rail
roads are already sufficient IN number
and extent for public use at fair rates,
can and ought to enact
First,-That no new roads should be
chartered, unless public necessity for
the line is found to exist as in Massa-
chusetts, and as recommended by the
New York Railroad Commission of the
Legislature.
Second That at least so per cent. of
the stock be paid in before domain Is
exercised or construction begun, and
that the issue of bonds shall bear fair
relation to the stock issued and paid in.
1t Is at local, non-competitive points
that the friction exists, and where pro
rata for shippers is needed, other than
that afforded by the uncontrolled arbi-
tration of the carrier. The popularity
Of the present situation is that the rail
road and its management act as judge
and jury, and the shipper is coerced out
Of the clear right of having the question
between himself and the carrier
alrly determined by an impartial
arbitrator. The legaliziug of pools
5 considered Objectionable. Mr.. Herman
advocates the creation of a nationa
commission whose findings upon ali
questions of fact should be accepted in |
III courts as prima facie, true. Sucb |
lndings, he declares, are the one thine |
leedful to make courts available to car
iers, and shippers as against each other
The Board OF Railroad Commissioners
4 Kansas contribute to this volume a
aper which expresses the opinion that
national commission should be estab.
shed, vested with certain SUPERVISOR
owers, over the subject OF Interstate
ommerce. These powers should he
to the function of regulation
nd not to the management of
he business of inter state com
nerce. 1t would, the board thinks
erVe no useful or practical purpose. tn
i've such commission power to estaho
sh maximum rates for either passen.
er or freight traffic over interstate
the subject being too large
nd intricate SO be inteliigentIy dealt
18th by a single body of men. even {
lough composed of men trained in the {
5udy and business of railroad affairs |
here are, the board says, two classes
interstate traffic over railroad lines
ne between interior points and the I
and the other across State I
mes, but still, local. 1t is obyious 6
lat the rates adopted for one 9
ass would furnish no criterion .
base OF rates for another. The =
eat cereal crops raised in the L
lsslssippi valley and the. meat pro. :
icts IN 5he Mississippi, in the con. s.
1oeo production OF which the country s.
vltally interested, can only be main +
lned by system of rates for their u
ansportauon to the seaboar,ls which is
lne tney involve no absolute loss n
'uIo, II Inc same rates were obligatory
ION tnem, as 10 all traffic carried over q
elr lines, coRsign every road in The "
sIness into bankruptcy. To devise q d.
stem OF maximum rates cover;no So
cry species of interstate traffic on bl
SIS OF rates for long hauls from The oil
treme west to the east, would para. &c
'e every railroad engaged in business Ell
the other hand, to eouaIi1e sc
'es as between long and short M
us would, If railroad prenartv at
to be preserved, and its efficiency ca
advance rates on great dc dr
ICES to such an extent as to mt on ST
oargo upon the movement of cereai OF
ps OF the extreme west trans MiSs;s trl
ol, the result of which would be littio "a
disastrous to the east than 70 tS mi
It: While the power to establisb gr'
xlmum rates 10 govern interstate col
nc would not therefore be WISELY oT
FULLY employed by a national raiIroo0d
mission, such a body might nSa
y exercise the function of {
ng complaints from sbinners an
Undue or unreasonable CHARGES or goI
part OF railroad companies and -
&c as to the reasolableness, or otbar-
OF the charges complained of n n
way a PrsnaG facie case might he IL
lie Tor the courts. COMPLAINS for
sed extortlon and ofunjust discrimi-
ons might be investigated in lie
lner, and where the evils of H.
seS named Were.fOupd r. -. VIC n