Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-24
NOT MUCH OF A SUCCESS.
What Chicago Merchants and Railroad

What Chicago Merchants and RailrooA
Men Say Of the Interstate Law.
CHICAGO, Dec. A--A local paper prints inter
views with . number Of leading Chicago whole.
sale merchants, also With two railroad mana
gers, giving their opinions Of the intsrststs
commerce law based on its vorkings. The
majority OF the merchant. exprss decided op-
position 10 II, holding that ID proved Of little
benefit, and in many cases was working injury.
All Of them favor radical amendments, ana
some Of them want IL repealed at once Re-
ceiver McNulta, Of the wsbash railway, saids
..Theoreticslly the lawsppeared 10 be all right
Practically IL IL radically wrong. It effect has
been and must continue 10 be directly the op-
posite Of what was intended That il has and
may for . time, continue 20 give much lower
rates Is unquestionably true. Il seems 10 me
that sr0,:s = the outside thres.yesr. Of The
past spring and summer would mot
leave three solvent railroad COM
panies in the west. northwest or southwest
While this lie true, IL is believed by those bess
trunk lines have been increased o. 600 900 every
month under the operations Of this lac. The
natural sequence Of this, In my opinion, IN the
absorption Of all Of the roads in the country BY
the present trunk line corporations. The lav
Its unconditional repeal There
MUST BE LEGAL RAILROAD RRsrRrcrroxs
but with it there must 60 railroad protection.
When the owners Of the railroad property are
restricted from encroaching on the property
and rights Of others they must be protected
from the encroachment Of others upon their
rights and property. Something similar 10 the
English clearinghouse system should bs
adopted and carried out under the direc-
ton Of experienced government ofRcers
The Canadian roads should be compelled 70
conform TO the same rules that govern the
American roads. and, while ID is true that We
cannot enforce those rules in Canada, We can
place burdens upon, or even prohibit, an inter-
change OF traffic where they violate them. The
competition with natural waterways should be
exempted or provided for under the long and
short haul clause, il that clause Ia not wholly
repealed. as think il should be. No inter-
state road to do interstate business should bs
allowed to be constructed except upon the hnd-
ing of the interstate commission, or other
federal authority, that it was needed 10 do the
business, and that il was not being built merely
TO SQUEEZE MONEY OUT OF OTHER ROADS.
There should be a federal prohibition in re-
gard to competing lines, and limit Of control
in the extent of any one line and its lateral
branches and feeders; for example, prohibiting
the trunk lines from controlling west Of the
present trunk-line terminus, and prohibiting
the lines east Of the Missouri river from con-
trolling roads to the westward, and 90 in al
directions.
PRAISE AND BLAME FOR THE Law.
General Manager st. John, of the Rock L.
land road, said the law has undoubtedly abol-
ished much discrimination, which is an admir-
able result The long and short clause has. in
some cases, produced satisfactory results,
while in others it has wrought very great in
jury, both to shippers and carriers. Mr. 81.
John cited an example in his compsny's expe-
rience on their st. Paul and Minneapolis line,
where they have practically withdrawn
from through traffic because it could
not stand the necessary reduction to
intermediate stations. The fercest
wars known to railroads have ragged under the
operation Of the law in spite Of the fact that it
was announced that the new measure would
stop rate-war by abolishing pools.
Practical railroad men, said Mr.. st. John,
see.no permanent remedy until the companies
can be permitted to contract as TO the terms Of
peace between them and enforce the perform.
ance of the contracts in the courts.
MIR. st. John didn't favor the repeal of the
interstate law. A wise supervision of trans.
portation, he said, is for the interest Of the
shipper and carrier, but it should be wise