The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-05-29
INTER STATE COMMERCE BILL


= States is beyond all question wise pre-
J vision. BY reaso bf that power bein
! so conferred we have enjoyed domesti
z commercial tranquility for these man
. years Indeed" SAYS Judge Story i
I nothing has the profound wisdom OF th
! trainers of the Constitution been NOR
displayed, than in the grant of thi
! power 70 the Union" While this ma,
be true, the wisdom of the bill latel,
passed BY the Senate known as tn
! interstate commerce bill. may well b
questioned. The bill was introduce,
by Senator Cullom, but IT ceived severa
important amendments before it passe,
the Senate.
The principal features of the bill MAJ
be epitOmized as follows:
"a commission of FIVE persons is tc
be established by Congress. who shall
have power TO regulate traffic in the
case of roads which do no. lie entirely
within any one State. The commission
Is TO have authority to examine into the
affairs and methods OF business of the
several corporations WITHIN the in
riSdiction, and is to hear and in
veStigate complaints and report the
action which, in its judgment.
seems necessary. The decision of
the commission is to be final
and compulsory, and may re enforced
by process of law. Rebates. drawbacks
and dIscrin nations of any kind are
prohibited. The bill requires that all
railroad charges shall be reasonable,
and that the rate of freight and pas
| senger tariffs shall be published, rates
not TO be advanced without ten days
public notice
Perhaps the most important part of
the act, the one that will affect Utah in
common with all other sections that are
remote from markets for their products,
is the section relating to the regulations
in charges for long and short hauls.
This section says:
THAT it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier to charge or receive
greater compensation in the aggregate
for the transportation of passengers or
of the like class and quantity OF prop
efty. subject to the provisions OF this
act. for shorter han for longer distance
over the same line IN the same direction
and from the same original point Of DC
pdrture, or 70 the same point of arrival;
but this shall not be construed as au-
thorizlng any common carrier within
the terms OF this act TO charge and re-
ceive as great compensation for II
shorter than for a longer distance: pro-
vided, however, that upon application
to the commission appointed under the |
provisions of this act, such common
~ ~ IN al -
orized to charge less for longer than for |
shorter distances tor the transportation |
Of passengers or property. and the com
mission may. from time to time, make |
general rules exempting such designated |
carrier in such special cases /
from the operation OF this act; and /
when such exceptions shall have
been made and published. they shall
until changed by the commission or by
Law, have like force and effect, as though |
the same had been specified in this sec
ton Any common carrier who shall
violate provisions of this section of this
act shall be deemed guilty of extortion,
and shall be liable to the person or per-
sons against whom any such excessive
charge was made for all damages occa-
stoned by such violation"
Every one will perceive that this
clause will affect more or less the low
through rates the country has enjoyed
Tor the past few years. 1t will do 1t in
this way: Suppose the Union
Pacific has q through rate from
Ogden to Chicago. Between Ogden
and Chicago we have as prom
nent places. Cheyenne and Omaha
Now, under this enactment. it would be
unlawful for the railroad company to
charge or receive less for taking a car
Dad of grain from Ogden to Chicago
than for taking a carload from Chey
snne TO Chicago, or from Omaha to
Chicago. The company, however, could
charge more between Cheyenne ard
Omaha than between Ogden and Chi
,ago. The reason why the railroad
have gwen low rates to the
producers living at long distances from
ide water, or commercial centres, is
because If the freight for the long hauls
was not put down to the lowest notch
he producer couldn't afford to ship his
productions to q market at all
and the railroad would be de-
prived of just that much business;
therefore. al the freight the railroad
can carry at long dis
iances just at living rates for the COM
pany. is the creation Of that much bust
ness that otherwise the company would
be deprived Of. And IL there were any
advance in the rates on freight the pro
iucer living at q distance from COM
nercisl centres, could not afford TO
'end his produce 70 market, and the
country would be losers by that'much
IS his produce is worth to the CONNER
,ial world. 1t may be argued that the
railroad commission created by this
'ame enactment is authorized In special
,ases to allow common carriers 10
;harge less for shipping goods long
distance than for a short one; and in
act may from time TO time make
general rules exempting such designated
common. carrier in such. special cases