The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-17

To accurately gauge the influence Of the
interstate commerce law on railroad prop
critics is a matter of no little difficulty.
the situation of the railroads themselves,
physical and financial, is a complex one.
Particularly in the west, Over-building and
insane competition made it impossible to
say whether the complaints of the railroad
men in regard to the first operation of the
law were well founded or not, says Brad
streets. The movement which took form
last December for a regulation of cOmpe-
tition and the maintenance of rates in
volved a confession that the roads, both
east and west, had been Systematically VIC
lating the law Indeed, the cardinal prin-
ciple involved in the interstate agreement
of the western roads and the amendments
then embodied in the Trunk Line associa-
TONS constitution, was the recognition of
the law and the enlisting of the railroads
themselves in the work of enforcing it.
Since that date there has undoubtedly been
a change in the attitude of the railroads to-
wards the law and the commission. But
the effects of this have been Obscured by a
number of the complex circumstances
which surround the whole railroad sltua-
ton.
The increase of earnings has, as a whole
been marked. but this is partly due to the
mild nature of the past winter, to the better
maintenance of rates, and to the fact that
comparison was made within period as
the first quarter of 1888 undoubtedly was,
when these adverse conditions were eX-
erted to the utmost. On the other hand,
the opening portion Of the current year has
been distinguished by features peculiar to
itself, which have measurably checked the
progress of the favorable circumstances
above referred to. Legislative interference
with railroad rates has been more active
and persistent, traffic has been on a smaller
scale, and the stOppage of railroad construc-
ton has affected the progress of the eX-
IRENE west, and the earnings of the rail
roads.
To disentangle from this labyrinth of con
fiicting conditions the real influence of SO
complex a measure as the interstate law is
manifestly an impOssibility. 1t can only be
elucidated by time, and by considerable
period Of time at that The testimony OF
railroad officials themselves may go for
great deal, and the general tenor OF such
opinions is no longer hostile to the law. In
fact, so far as the law and its recent amend
ments 20 TO abolish the deeply rooted abuses
which have grown up with the rapid eX
pansion of the railroad system, 1t meets
with their approval. Rebates, favOrltism,
false billing and underhand methods gener-
ally do not necessarily commend themselves
TO the men who operate railroads; in fact,
their uniform excuse is that they are forced
TO employ them by the action of their com
pet 5ors At the same time it is recognized
that custom has demoralized large section
of the public which patronize railroads.
The large shipper expects to obtain the
usual concessions, and each community
counts on gaining some advantage in rates
over its competitors. The strict enforce
ment of the interstate law involves an
educational process for both the railroads
and their patrons This may be slow, but
in the end it will be beneficial in a material
point of view to the roads.