Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-18
WASHINGTON.
The Senate Spends the Week in
Speech Making and Accom-
pIlshes but Little.
" "a, bate OH the Norfolk Navy Yard
- 'e& %, ION Likely TO Cause a
w q In the House.
The Interstnf, commerce. DnI.-C hn,,,nn,
The Interstatt commerce. BiiI--Chairmnn
Kiernan Denounoes Useless Railroad
Construction--soIne Opinions.
Intcr.tnte halfway rrnnsnnr,n,inn.

Interstate Railway transportation.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Ex-senator Gull
Ions select committee on Interstate rail
way transportation Will probably report
to the senate tomorrow or Tuesday on
the original inter- tate commerce bill, and
at the came time submit an exhaustive
report in its support. The committee
spent a good part OF last summer IN in
vestigations, and have been holding daily
sessions Since the assembling Of congress.
In addition to the two or three volumes
OF oral testimony which the committee
has taken In It's pursuit OF information
upon the subject, an appendix
containing a number of interesting
papers from leading authorities have been
printed for the use of the committee, and
will be made public with the report.
John ID. Kiernan, chairman of the New
York railroad commission, contributes n
statement supplemental TO the views nc
expressed orally to the committee. 1t
deals first with the history Of the contest
between railways and their patrons, In
which history he says many crude ideas
as to the usefulness and prac-
ticabillty of rate-ixing, final legis-
lation, pro rata laws, maximum and
minimum rate laws, etc, disappear, aud
II becomes clear that the proposed legis-
lation must be broader in aims, and less
disturbing In action than that heretofore
much in vogue. The low through rates
Of to-day, he says, pointed to by the rail-
ways as II reason why no legislation Is
needed, have little TO do with the ques-
ton. They ale phase of the universal
depression, Intensified by reckless and
needless railroad construction. I'M
necessary railroads sooner or later
become public burdens; they are
neither efficiently maintained nor
operated, nor do they permit
competitors to fill public obligations.
Congress cannot apply the remedy chiefly
needed The state whose railroads are
already sufficient in number and extent,
! for public use, ut fair rates, can and
ought to enact, first, that no new roads
should be chartered unless public neces-
| sity for the line is found 10 exist, as in
| Massachusetts, and as recommended by
| the New York railroad committee TO the
| legislature; second, that at least 80 per
cent OF stock be paid in before domain is
lexercistd OF cOnsTuc6son begun, and that
the issue of bonds shall bear fair
relation to the stock issued and paid in.
| III Is Nv lOCul uOu-CulnDCblbhC pOlulH lHul
| friction exists, and where protection for
shippers is needed other than that af-
| ford by uncontrolled arbitration Of the
carrier A popularity of the present
situation is that the railway and its man
agement act as Judge and jury, and the
shipper is coerced out of the clear right
of having question between
himself and the carrier fairly de-
termlned by an impartial arbi-
traitor Legalizing pools is considered
Objectionable. Mr.. Herman advocates
the creation of national commission,
whose findings upon all questions OF facts
should be accepted in all courts as prima
facie evidence. Such findings, he de-
clares, are the one thing needful to make
courts available TO carriers and shippers,
and against each other.
| Charles Il. Perkins, president of the
| Chicago, Burlington Quincy Railway
company, contributes an interesting
paper, setting forth what may perhaps
be assumed to be the railroad side
of the question. He assumes that
1t is settled policy of most
states to permit railroad construction to
be free, and also that the English common
! law doctrines relative TO common carriers
are not now open To discussion. Many OF
| them are relics OF orse-power or water
craft He thinks the best methods Of
preventing extortion or unjust dscrimin-
alton Is by appeal TO the courts, bur says
| that very little, If any, extorti0n
or unjust discrimination is practiced, In
evidence OF which he points to the fact
that few cases have been taken TO court
or made public, and that the records OF
state railway commissioners show very
| few complaints aud still fewer decisions
| by the commissioner against roads.
Through rates, he says, are generally
| lower than local rates, because through
business is wholesale business, larger In
amount and therefore less expensive 10
transact, and for the additional reason
that competition for 1t Is more severe,
and through rates are generally
affected by direct water route competi-
ton; but 1t is obviously inexpedient TO
REQUIRE railways to reduce local rates be-
cause the combined Influences OF large
aggregate traffic competition OF other
railways, water routes, or rival markets,
which Influences are not felt at local
points, may make II for their Interest TO
operate on through business on
very small margin OF proht. all
traders were compelled TO sell everything
] on q DuNlh Oh LUe lONthb ihuA Etu va PiSu't
which they might find 1t necessary 10 take
ON some one thing, the effect would be
the same over wider field as the effect
of recurring railroads either 70 give up
through business or reduce their local
rates correspDndingly. 1t is no more for
the interest OF the public 70 make rail-
ways Improbable than to make business
generally Improbable. Perhaps the
very best evidence that the local
rates OF the railways throughout the
country are reasonable, is TO be found Ia
the prosperity OF local points all over the
country and by comparison with railway
charges elsewhere in the world.
Railways must remain in the country
where they are, Whatever happens, anu
their punishment for excessive charges,
while il would be little slower In COM
ing than that Of an individual merchant,
would be far more certain and severe,
because their business would be ruined