The Red Cloud chief., 1897-12-03
RAILROAD ACTS ATT
Proposed laws Called Revolutionary
RadicaI Interview.


RadicaI Interview.
Louisville. Nv, Nov %. Milton
II. Smith. president OF the Louisville
e. Nashville railroad, said to-day Of
pending railroad legislation by Con.
gress: ''As TO scalping. that is largely
n moral question and an immoral prac'
ticc, which the law, as IL stands.
should suppress and the railroads
must suppress. AS TO the pooling pro-
visions proposed, they arc not of suf-
fclcnt importance to require much
attention from railroad managers.
Pooling will not be obligatory, and
pooling rates have TO be approved by
the interstate commerce commission.
Tho whole thing Is dclusivc. ! should
like TO say the proposition is intended
TO deceive the public and the railroads
as TO the revolutionary character Of
the proposed legislation. used the
word revolutionary advisedly, and the
movement is one which should arouse
public attention and secure not public
approval, but public condemnation.
much misinformation has been cir
.ulatcd concerning the effect OF recent
judicial decisions concerning the In.
torstatc commerce commission The
pu bile has been Informed officially
that these decisions have '~cmasculated
tho commission that they have de-
stroycd its usefulness, that IL has been
deprived OF power conferred by Con-
grcss to fix rates ard that the power
fh.G Talon utsau v,tSf hn n,,frrAI
by congress in the language not sub
jet TO misintcrpsetation. There is
evidently NJ organized movement
directed by shrcwd and interested men
To confuse the whole matter. Every
assumption is false. Tho commission
has been deprived OF no power ever
given 1t by congress-; all the useful.
ness It ever possessed, e possesses to-
day. All that the courts have done
has been to check "a tendency of or
gapized political agencies 10 extend
their power In new fields. The public
should no longer be deceived. The
purpose Of proposed legislation is not
to restore TO the commission something
IL has lost, but 10 give IL some
thing 1t has never posscssed-somc-
thing 81 could not use safely and Sore
thing that never should be given IL
~ wish to state the facts with all
the emphasis of which / am capable.
The proposed changes are radical ana
revolutionary, affecting not simply
the railroads, but the whole character
of the government. 1t is not possible
for one commission 70 fix rates, settle
the innumcrablc controversies daily
arising between lines, between ship
pers, between cities Such a power
should not exist anywhere to-day. To
give IL to q single commission or to
cndow IL with an influence over the
lives, the prosperity and the futures
OF the private citizens no government
here, and few governments abroad,
have ever tried to assume in
times OF peace. Yet this feature OF
the proposed bill Is ignored in all pub.
lie discussions. We hear much OF
pooling and scalping; VIC hear nothing
OF this other scheme. stalking into
Congress, behind the pooling and anti
scalping measures, claiming the APP
prevail of the public upon palpably
false protcnses These false pretcnses
should be at once exposed and the
people should not be kept in ignorance
Of the effect of such n revolutionary
measure upon the whole character OF
the government"
On all ordinary matters Mr.. Smith il
rigidly r%cticent, and this interview in
dicates the Importance attached by
experienced railroad nen to legisla-
ton which interested men are SO
heartily commencing to the attention
of Congress.