The Saint Paul globe., 1896-11-20
GRANGE HAS IDEAS
REGARDING THE PROPER EN-
FORCEMENT OF THE INTER-
STATE COMMERCE ACT.
A PLATFORM FORMULATED.
RECIPROCITY RESOLUTION rs IA.
BLEED AS yERGING TOO CLOSE
LY ON POLITICS.,
TEN-DAY SESSION AT AN END.
Elaborate Report From the Com.
mittee on Transportation Pre-
sented and Adopted

WASHINGTON, Nov 19.-The Ma
tional grange, after being in session for
ten days, completed its work today A
very elaborate report from the commit
tee on transportation was presented
and adopted. 1t detailed many Of the
complaints against carriers, among
them elevator charges, manipulation
of rates through milling in transit
privileges, cutting of export rates. so
that the middleman can ship from the
interior to the seaboard cheaLer than
the producer; the unintelligibility Of
rate sheets posted al railway stations,
ETC." The report recommended several
amendments to the interstate COM
merce law as follows:
That the procedure in the courts TO en-
force the orders of the commission should be
confined to the record made up Of the testi-
mony taken before the commission and the
order of the commission should be enforced
unless the court shall find in such proceed
ngs some material error prejudicial 10 the
carrier which furnishes sufficient reason for
refusing to enforce it,
That the commissioners should have power
to require, after investigation and inquiry,
that the rates, facilities or practices involved
IN the case shall be changed, modified or
corrected as specified in the order, so that
when the commission has determined what
is unlawful, it shall be its duty to pre-
scribe what is lawful in respect to such rates,
facilities or practices.
That uniform classification of freight ar
ticles should be established without delay
and the commissioners required to conform
to such classification.
That the commission should have power to
require connecting carriers to establish
through routes for continuous carriage Of
freights. and make reasonable through rates
for shipments over such routes, and in
case Of disagreement between carriers in
regard to division of rates between them, the
commission should have power to determine
the apportionment of through rates between
the several carriers.
That the commission should have authority
and determine and prescribe the form, con-
tents and arrangement Of the schedules and
joint tariffs of rates required by the act to
be published and filed, and to, from time
to time, change such prescribed form, etc.s
Is may be found necessary.
That the charging of higher rates do
nestle traffic than for like service for through
export or import traffic should be distinctly
prohibited.
That the commission should have authority
to require the prompt filing of annual and
monthly reports by carriers.
The committee recomends the dis
cussion of transportation matters gem
orally, and particularly those arising
from time to time in various localities
in local oranges, and that senators and
representatives in congress be asked,
as occasion may demand, to take nec-
essary action for removal Of transpor+
tation abuses by suitable legislation.
The reciprocity resolution discussed
yesterday was tabled because it trench-
ed on politics.
The report of the committee on agrit
culture recited that the conditions -cOn-
fronting the farmers had not materials
ly changed during the year and that ,
I'VE believe that policy which will
stimulate home consumption to the ex-
tent of affording an opportunity to
every man to earn fair wages and
thereby become liberal consumer to
be true American policy" Recent
events, the report says, have left no
room for doubt that protection is to be
the policy Of the incoming administers
tion and it is demanded that in the res
vision of the customs duties farm pros
ducts shall be as fully and amply pros
tected as those Of the factory. The
legislative committee adopted a resolu-
tion favoring the construction by tha
government Of the Nicaraguan canal,
Worthy Master j. H. Brigham, N. ],
Bachelor and DR.. John Trimble were
appointed the legislative committee fol
the ensuing year.