The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-15

or greater concessions, and they usually
succeed.
methods to defeat rebates; weak lines will
not remain without business, and the strong
lines will not permanently lose theirs. De-
vices and concealed rates therefore iievita-
bly, ensue, and are illogically urged as
competition" and public benefit.
If. further, the ten lines from Chicago
to New York each issued different public
grain rates ranging from 20 to l2l2 cents
per 100 pounds. eachIrate would be legal 10
discriminating to trade and as harmful to
adjacent and intermediate points as TO
make such different rates secretly.
Per contra, If they all held to equal rates
and conditions, some of them could not Sc
cure the shares of traffic to which they
deemed themselves entitled by their neceS-
stiles for business and earnings.
Ten years of such actual practices and
results, clearly, predicted before the act
from the amplitude of home and foreign
experiences, have again demonstrated that
it is for the public interest that due and
towering some lines to concede portions OF
their traffic to others who will accept 1t, es-
pecially while shippers may combine to
shuttle their traffic from line to line and
divide the proceeds of their combinations
to defeat such due rates,
1t is clearly more desirable to practically
regulate than to theoretically increase such
miscalled competition, but its due regulation
cannot be accomplished without the aid
of law or the removal of its prohibitions.
WHAT THE RAILROADS ASK.
The railways therefore ask that if some
lines concede parts of their tonnage or
earnings to other companies, and both they
and disinterested shippers agree that that
method will best resist the persuasions of
some shippers and the wavering of some
railways, they in joint contracts for such
desirable purposes should be legalized. This
policy will sooner make weak lines and
shippers stronger. All forwarders may con-
tinue to use the routes they desire and all
lines may make economies which Will bet
ter justify the low present charges and
betterments and extensions of their facil-
tiles. If smaller shippers assent that their
freightS may be used to so equaIize the
joint tonnage because they thereby secure
the desired PARTIES of rates with large for
warders, which are their right and neces-
sity, it is a potential and conclusive argu-
ment. The largest shippers now get the
best terms, while the smaller ones most
need them.
1t is because the interstate act has thus
and so far failed to deal adequately with
such determinations and their remedy that
the railway contention seems uEderstand-
able and unanswerable. If the government
reserves its approval to rates IT should also
aid in their Uniform collection. Whatever
rates receive its sanction should receive
its strong support, like its own tariffs, its
arbitrations, its treaty obligations, its in
ternational postal unions, etc. Government
is justly jealous of its faith in all those
respects, and should be, equally SO for It's
carriers, because they have done and are
doing more for its extension and power
than all other agencies. If, therefore. the
Carriers supplement- the railway reports, OL
senatorial and House committees
and national and state commits
sions. as well as those in Eu-
rope, with pleas for a trial of the system
commended by all those authorities, and
further propose to submit their data, con-
tracts and rates to governmental review
and approval, upon what defensible
grounds can the legislature longer rely only
upon the present Inadequate act and an
1T is true you publish ostensibly legal
and reasonable rates; collect them If you
can; but we think competition, as we UNI
derstand it, should go on unregulated and
preferential, because otherwise trade Will
be restrained"
The r~easonableness of rates is now rarely
questioned, and hardly touches the present
discussion. Mr.. Nimmo said:
During the year ending Dec. 81. 1873,
only sixteen cases came to a formal con-
sideration and hearing. In only one of the
cases decided was the reasonableness OF the
rates called In question, and in that single
instance the claim was decided to be not
well founded"
their own difficulties. and that only their
mutual determination to observe joint
tariffs is required Ihis Is true u rney az
rates and conditions, but no laws ana no
agreements are universally observed in any
business or between nations, hence the null
tiplicity of contentious and courts, and all
such critics should more fully realize the
essential differences between railroad ri
valries and environments, wherein the
weakest and worst company may make
rates for the strongest and best.
stephenson, the younger. therefore said
to a committee of Parliament: What we
ask is knowledge. = = . All we ask is q
tribunal that is impartial and that is thor
oughly informed. and If lmpartiality and
intelligence are secured we do not fear the
result
We believe that the pooling clauses Of
the act of 1887 were not enacted because
our legislators were not thoroughly in
formed. A distinguished senator told his
colleagues in the Senate debate of 1887 OF
the utter and lamentable ignorance Of
what pooling contracts were"
We will endeavor to explain them next.
GEORGE r.. BLANCHARD.