New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-19
uAPVARD WINS THE DEBATE.
~ cRAToRICAL CONTEST WITH YALE AT
CAMBRIDGE
n,scrssION WAS AS TO FURTHER LIMITING


".rsntavc powers before IN audience which filled
NE 49, Theatre TO overiowing. When the last liar
'' no, had taken his seat, the judges, President
Andrews OF Brown University Professor f.. Il. \.
u.msu. OF Columbia. and William +. Barrett
rar Of the Massachusetts House, withdrew. soon
'r-rord they retained and announced that The de-
- WIS l.4S5 points 10 1.403 In favor OF the
,~,y.rd representatives. the award being made Oh
General presentation and substance Of The speeches
p,os,dent Eliot presided lie skechcd briefly the
.aancr of the art Of speaking the advantages
Sod in this line by tie University, the purposes
. aim. Of the Harvard Union. lie announced the
s.c for discussion thus, Resolved that the
80, Of railroad corporations should be further
rru,,d BIZ National Legislation Yale took the
xa,iye Harvard the negative side Of the question.
rsxad Ruhven Lamson. OF Montcair. y. j., WAS
sxt speaker imperative responsibilities, he said
v" ann this Government to that the gigantic
Ger OF the railroads IS used for the benefit, not the
rmr Of America The tendency Of the times and
xs.ney OF service point toward consolidation. Re
III the arbitrary and irresponsible power and the I'M
rrpulo,s methods Of our great railroad magna,es.
~. ysst wealth and luxury they have accumulated
~. ,rcb,am was how TO get railroads. The question
r IL how 10 control them: rs solution legislation
Tho supreme Court OF the United states has repeat
.lr decided that ~ the railroads perform in part
,nOe,ion OF the Government they are quasi public
..-rants public carriers. public highways. and AS
,h subject TO legislation. The state has no con
,,s over interstate traffic. oar only alternative
han s National legislation. Revelations made In the
testimony before the Congressional Committee were
.,naling The outiages recorded were simply in
,.dIb,e Private and public rights were unthousht
A. LEGISLATION is needed until publicity OF rates is
an ACCOMPLISHED fact. Rates should be well known
.s the price of postage stamp. section II OF the
Interstate Commerce act requires that the commission
should recommend such additional legislation as may
!. necessary 1t is their recommendation TO Congress
January a. 1893 that l present TO You to might
,.rommepdng that the Interstate Commerce law.
ySIaIed and The important points OF ii. adminis
ion Is needed TO amend strengthen ana support It's
execution and enforcement
Mr. vrooman spoke "a follows
Railroad competition bring or war Of rates, willie!
often reduces rates far below cost When tne
NOW rommanding the entire trdihc, at once raises
;se rates whereby the pabc is taxed f)r tn" war
,hs sudden falls and the still more sudden rises have
20 utterly confused and conounded all the plans ana
calculations Of the shippers, That to-day You VIII
ind that they agcee almost to man in preferrins
rates which are high and steady. 10 rates which are
low and auctuatng. still another evil OF this eA-
eesye competition is the unjust favoriiiSm To large
towns and extensive shipping hoIses More dangerous
competition for the traffic Of firms shipping large
quantities Of goods. railroad corporations secretly
make special low rates. by which the favored firms
are enabled TO undersell their smaller rivals. whose
destruction and absorption is but question OF time
And all these evils are the direct result OF excessive
few Years ago melted both BY. The abuses them
selves and by The public indignation they caused.
Congress passed the Interstate Commerce act. This
act was no halfway measure: no feeble attempt for
reform II was radical ana sweeping a,,sfK upon
railroad system. II brought TO the public notice the
rsc fuetation OF rates and the unjust favortsm 10
influential customers. Then with fines and lnpiS ~
msnts to enforce obed"mee this act baked By the
with an unqualified and absolute prohibition Thou
shalt not But ii seems that "pr)hliitiOn does not
prohibit In railroad matter. II IS true that for
time the abuses almost disappeared. but took only
few months FOX the railroads TO manage ingcnlusly
passed to strengthen the Interstate act, but evasion
stl follows and today the act as law is
hmenable failure.
Frank Edward Donnelly OF oxford. ~ y. next
spoke for Yale. lie mentioned evils that had been
overlooked in legislation. especially the unlimited
freedom Of express companies. which at present enjoy
all the privileges Of common carriers without their
strcons The great loss OF life from railway accidents
during last year the occasion OF considerable aglta
ton In the different legislatures Some OF this Is due TO
The old method Of heating cars, much to the absence
Of Uniform automatic couplers and continuous brakes.
and much to imperfect system Of danger signals.
Congressional action for compelling the adoption OF
automatic coupler. a proper system OF heat
Ing and danger signals Is needed. The prevention OF
discrimination OF the subjects at a discussion
before the Senate committee last month. 1t is now
practically a matter OF agreement between railway
managers and statesmen generally that the only WAY
further TO restrict the railways and thus prevent
discrimination is by further lcgi,at0n-by an amend
ment TO the Interstate Commerce law legallzing so
called pools. The railroad corporations themselves
not only acknowledge the benefits TO the railways OF
further National legislation but they unite III de-
handing further restriction Though the economic
advantage Of enormous concentration OF capital iol
uniform and efficient service cannot BE- denied Vet
We must, for the safety OF the Nation, have al IcaSt
control commensurate with its power.
Mr. Warren spoke substantially follows;
To understand the origin OF railroad abuse one
must appreciate to the fun what tremendous ioift
competition between railroads is. Investors IN ran
make the road q sue cess else their money might as
well haze been east into the sea Compeuon' ,h,rc
Orc becomes not mere struggle Tor proh's' p"' "
matter OF very life and death to the rairOad .
This desperate struggle has impelcd railroads , 10
put while Is clear case that sncn aDSe, snc',u
b stopped, II Is not clear that nc Govtrhmeh, Is
10Y their own salvation. Introduced system OF poo's
which, by giving each road an assurance OF Jus, >"
much traffic removed The necessity for reductions
lh@ system WAS. However. prohibited by the inter
state Commerce act The Trainer; Of TINS Jaw seE%ea
They forbade reductions and then proceeded 70 lormu
Tat wa capable OF puttng stop 10 hos" reductions
Ihcy felt The cause and forbade The effect, H..
When railroads arc UNDERWRITING cach o,neF is D1
weak firms 60 10 the wall. There is no more royal
read IL erca, monOpolics than Ills unrcenia,en ran
road competition The law that declares all trmS
Shall be treated alike IS laughing stock. ana NOR"
tan that. II his really intensified the inequanly;
Since reductions are Illegal, they must be- secret ana
hence one or firms In each town are gwen conFoI
OF all tie shipments over railroad headlohg
public in venting its rage on the railroads has sown
the seeds Of great monopoies. much more dangerous
thsl the railroads at their worst.
Homer suc Cummings, OF New-Iiavcn, Conn, VINO
was the next speaker for Yale began Will reoul,a
and proved by citation OF eminent authority that
ue theory OF IasScz falre was lnapplicabe TO the
railroad problem Of today. and 10 trust 10 IL was
to make mistake that is little short Of crime. lie
Continued
Three points OF importance yet remain 10 Dr u,s
eusscd Fist il has been found that tir popular
npe for "spccdy economic relief from i'nroau III
lury' Is often an Inflated dream. An nttcnPt 10
ehorCc decision against rccusalt fiiilTo'u ni's
entail the expense Of double trial ana t.e posi-
nhty Of a failure In the end But again sun NOR
liz All