The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-13
The Canadian Railroads.

Senator Cullom's committee on inter State
commerce in their report recently submitted
to the Senate recommend
that either such license system shall be es-
tablished as will be applicable to the Canadian
railroads doing business in the United States or
trade and commerce Of the country, be adopted
which shall secure to American railroads an
equal chance IN competition with Canadian rail-
mituee, is in the interest not only OF American
railroads and especially American transcOnti-
mental lnes but in the interest of American COM
merce and OF the general prosperity of the Ameri-
can people.
A careful examination. .of the ussssiNs1xss
and Arguments winch lead up to this recon-
mendation seems to show that 1t was made
to meet two grounds of complaint; first that
the Canadian roads had advantage over our
roads, inasmuch as the losses incurred by
making low rate on through traffic might
be recouped by increasing the rates on local
traffic in Canada. which was not controlled
by our Interstate commerce law, while our
American roads being obliged to observe the
law throughout their entire length. could
not raise their local rates, and hence were at
disadvantage as regards through rates;
and secondly that the Canadian roads were
secretly giving rebates to shippers, which en-
abled them to get traffic away from cur own
roads. The first allegation rested entirely
on the assertion, unsupported by evidence,
of several American trunk line managers.
1t was denied by the officials of the Canadi-
an roads. who claimed that they were OBJ
serving the law, as well as our American
roads, on all kinds Of traffic, both local and
through. The second allegation rested on
mere suspicion, and was strenuously de-
MED by the Canadian officials, as well as by
large number of American shippers, who
had sent freight over the Canadian roads.
But whether these allegations were well
founded or not, it did not seem to be seri-
ously commended that the practices COM
planned of had worked any practical injury
to American lines. President Roberts of
the Pennsylvania road said:
do not know that they 1.-THE Canadian roads,
are now doing any serious injury to the railway
interests of this country or to the country, but
submit that 1t is entirely within their power to do
railways in the United States in theiT i HsHa
dence OF our legal restrictions.
President Roberts's argument, and indeed
the argument of most Of the advocates of
some restrictive legislation on the Canadian
roads, seemed to be in view Of what they
might do, rather than what they had done or
are now doing.
Now the proposition to compel the Cana
dian roads to comply with the same laws
that our roads are held up to seems fair
enough on its face, and if 1t could be guaran-
teed that legislation to that end would ac-
complish that and that only. then perhaps
there would be no good ground for complaint
against it-though to compel the Canadian
roads to live up to the long and short haul
clause Of the law In their local traffic in Can
ada while our own trunk lines are not sub
]ected to itin the case of traffic beginning
and ending inside single State is applying
much harsher rule to the Canadian roads
Than to our own. and is not treating them
with that strict impartiality which the con-
mittee processes to be aiming at.
But the danger is that legislation ostensi-
bly, for single end-and that end perhaps
an unobjectionable one-may have much
wider effect than its authors intend, and
do great deal of mischief. And this danger
Is increased of course where, as in this case,
the advocates of this particular kind of leg
islation are, many o. them at least, hostile
to the Canadian lines and anxious to exclude
them from doing business in this country.
1t must always be borne in mind when
considering the question Of the regulation of
Canadian roads that none of them are CON-
peiled to seek cur seaboard ports as points
OF outlet. Canadian ports can be reached by
all OIL them. 1t must be borne in mind also
that the present Canadian government is
using all Its power over these roads to CON-
pei tnem to DO this very thing, They use
our ports now largely, simply because, under
existing conditions, it is for their interest to
ao So ana the great danger Of legislation
III regard 10 these roads-no matter how in
hoeeht IL may look on its facets that IL NAV
cbange the conditions which now mako !, 60,
the interest OF the Grand Trunk to use port
land instead of Halifax and the Canad;an
Pacific to use Boston and Portland inst-od
OF St. John and therefore lead 10 their win
drawal from our ports. There is danger ~
this kind in the recommendation of the chi
lom committee, for nobody can tell how
heavy burden legislation based upon IL
would create 1t might be entirely harmless
In this direction and 1t might not. But the
very fact that its result is uncertain consti-
tutes good ground for opposition to it, es-
peclally as our own American lines admit
that they are in need of no present protec-
uon inasmuch as they are suffering no pres
ent harm.
The people Of Portland and the State of