The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-08

| LlaG III UG WILL DuU LQ6ro is one
| passage which indicates that Senator Cullom
| and his associates think that a great COM
| plication would be out of the way If this
transit trade had never been encouraged.
| Their report says:
son the western side of the continent
there is an entire absence of those natural
and commercial conditions which not only
| justify the United States and Canadian
transit trade on the eastern side of the CON
tlnent, but which. render it of the highest
tain that the act of July %, 1866 never
nave become "a law, and that the provision
OF the treaty of Washington just quoted
would never have been agreed to or ratified
by Congress, if it had been supposed it
would result in encroachments upon Ameri-
can commerce, and the efforts to propagate
British imperial confederation, such as are
now exhibited in the efforts of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company and its connecting
steamer line on the western side of this con-
tinent."
Between the diverse interests involved the
committee find it very hard to make any def.
lnlte recommendations: but they incline to
some measures which will tend to put the
Canadian railroads upon an equal basis with
tne American lines, which are now ham,
pered by the interstate commerce law. "The
competition between American vessels on
the ocean and on the lakes is a sharp compe-
tltlon, says the report. ut leaves only a
narrow margin of profit. American railroads
sharply competing with each other and hold
ing profits to a narrow margin. The same
thing is true in commerce. Rival merchants
and rival cities are competing on narrow
margins OF profit. The whole tend ency of
the transportation and commercial facilities
OF the age is towards a parity of values.
Inc constraint is terrific. Some one is all
the while being squeezed out. In this state
Oh allalrs Great Britain and Canada find their
opportunity: So does every nation which is
inclined to hitch its financial power to the
wheels OF its own commerce. Thus it is
that, by attacking the narrow margins of
profit in the transportation business here and
tnere, our competitor at the north has been
exploiting upon American commerce for
many years. 1t is doing that very tg
today, In more high handed and ex It
way than ever before. All that is necessa-
ry for the governments of Great Britain or
canada to do is to throw sufficient advan-
tage in favor of British steamers, Canadian
fishing vessels, and Canadian railroads to
turn our commerce from American ocean
steamers, American fishing vessels, Ameri-
can railroads and American sea ports. This,
as already shown, is being done, not only by
subyentiop, but also by enabling statutory
provisions, which 60 in the face of the in
terstate commerce act of the United States"
In regard to discriminations made against
American vessels passing through the We'll |
land canal. and to certain determinations
made IN Canadian ports on the Great Lakes, |
the committee make definite recommended
tion OF retaliatory measures In regard to |
tne u general subject OF competition of the |
Canadian railroads with American lines the |
recommendation of the committee is en- |
bodied in the following:
The question as to the proper regulations |
which shall be imposed upon Canadian rail |
rrlers in competition with American railroads |
ln the transportation business of the United |
States has engaged the earnest considera- /
tion OF the committee. The general PROPOSE |
tlon that Canadian railroads which compete /
with American railroads for traffic between |
different points of the United States should |
pc subjected to the same requirements of |
law and OF regulations in pursuance of law
Which apply, or may hereafter apply to
American railroads, is so clearly marked by
principles of justice and equity that it must /
command the assent Of every fair-minded |
person.
There is now much discussion through
out the country as to whether the fourth sec
tion OF the act to regulate commerce shall or
shall not be modified orlrepealed. Whatever
conclusion the committee may reach here
after on that question as the result of inves-
tgatlon, 1t seems, In the judgment of the |
committee, to be the duty of Congress to
take such action as will give American rail
roads an even chance in competition with
the roads of Canada doing business in the
United States.
" fhe justice of such action becomes more
apparent 8 I'll IN view OF the existence of sections
- - ehS otatutC 1UL buo |
regulation of traffic. Those sections are re-
garued as manifest suggestions of |
unjust disnrimjnot 1ss.s,,ssnsss
American railroads, and in terms justify Ca
madam railroads as to all traffic secured from
the United States in disregarding the rule
established by the fourth section of our act
to regulate commerce. and known as the
long and short haul rule. |
"The committee therefore recommend that
either such license system shall be estab-
Iisbed as will be applicable to the Canadian
railroads doing business in the United States
or that some other plan, not injurious to the
general trade and commerce of the country,
be adopted which shall secure TO American
railroads an equal chance in competition
with Canadian railroads. Such action. in
the Judgment of the committee, is in the in
terest not only of American railroads, and
especially American transcontlnental lines,
but in the interest of American commerce
and of the general prosperity of the Ameri-
can people,"
1t will be seen that there is no thought of
interfering with the transit trade which has |
fiourished in the port of Portland for so |
many years through the lease of the Allan
tic & st. Lawrence to the Grand Trunk; but |
there is recommendation that some meas |
ure may be taken to prevent the sharp CON-
petition of the Canadian roads with the |
American as carriers. Should these recon- |
mendations be carried out they might inter- |
fere considerably with the cheap and conve- |
nient facilities for transportation enjoyed by |
Maine through the Grand Trunk, and with |
what Maine hopes to enjoy through the Ca |
madam Pacific.