The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-03-12
THE NEW INTERSTATE COMMERCE LAW.

cal nature and must nave very lmpoT-
tant effect on railway traffic, says the
New York Herald.
The leading amendment is to section
Of the law. That section was designed
to prevent rate abuses. But experience
proved it inadequate to reach some OF
the most fragrant abuses 1t prohibited
an advance in rates without ten days no
tice, but said nothing about reduction,
and consequently left the companies free
to lower rates whenever they liked and
without giving any notice in advance.
The result was rival cutting, with all the
decentralization and evils Of rate wars.
Another serious defect in section was
that it dealt only with individual tariffs
and not with joint tarifs-at least not
effectively. An individual tariff is the
tariff of single road. A joint tariff is
the tariff Of one or more companies oper-
ating continuous lines. The bulk of the
railway traffic Of the country is of the
latter kind, and hence when the law failed
to regulate that it failed to accomplish
chief end for which it had been enacted.
These defects are remedied by the
amended act. 1t expressly declares that
no advance shall be made either in indi-
vidual or joint rates, fares and charges,
except after ten days notice, and that no
reduction shall be made in either, except
after three days notice.
A feature of the amended act which
has caused no little commotion among
railroad officials is that which renders
them liable to imprisonment in certain
cases. The penalty for violating the old
law was simply fine. But now any d.
rector, officer or agent of corporation
who is convicted off," an unlawful dis
elimination in rates, fares or charges for
the transportation Of persons or
property" may be sentenced to the pen
itentiary for two years in addition to
being fined.
One of the most important Of the new
amendments is that aimed against fraud
ulent procuring of preference in trans
portation, false billing, &c. This deals
both with railway officials and with ship
pers. 1t first declares that any officer
or agent Of a corporation or any
person acting for or employed by
a corporation who "by means Of false
billing, false classification, false weighing
o. false report Of weight, or by any other
device or means, shall knowingly and will
fully assist or shall willingly suffer or per
NIT any person or persons to obtain trans
portation for property at less than the
regular rates then established and in force
on the line of transp )rtation of such com
mon carrier, shall be deemed guilty of
misdemcanor," punishable by fine not ex-
ceedng five thousand dollars, imprison-
ment for not more than two years, or by
both fine and imprisonment.
A similar provision is directed against
shippers resorting to any fraudulent prac-
tices or devices to evade the law. 1t de-
ciare' IndC any peiooH
Who shall knowingly and wlfully by false
billing, false classification, false weighing false
representation OF the contents OF the package
or false report Of weight, or by any other device
or means, whether with or without the consent
or cOnnvance OF the carrier, It's agent or agents,
obtain tran ~ )ra ion for such property at less
than the regular rates shall be deemed guilty Of
frAui, which is hereby declared to be misde-
meanOr
The amendment further declares:
Ifany such person shall. by payment of money
or other thing of value solicitation or otherwise,
induce any common carrier subject to the pro-
visions Of this act or any OF its officers or agents,
to discriminate unjusty in his or their favor as
against any other consgnor or consignee in the
transportation OF property or shall aid or abet
any common carrier in any unjust discrimina-
ton, such person shall be deemed guilty of q
misdemeanor
The maximum penalty prescribed
against an offending shipper is two years
Imprisonment and fine of FIVE thousand
dollars.
All of these amendments were urged by
the Interstate Commerce Commissioners,
who maintain that they will work for the
benefit of legitimate railway operation as
we'll as for the general business commu-
nifty.
From an impartial review of the
situation at Washington it may be seen
L