The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-31

Facts About the Pretended Benefits of
Railway Associations.

L
1t would be easy, but not creditable. to
repeat what many are saying about the de-
cislon of the Supreme Court declaring the
Joint Traffic Association unlawful. They
say that the decision is deadly blow at
the railroads, that they were on the brink
OF ruin through excessive competition when
the association was organized, that the de-
cision will bring back chaos and ruin for
the railroads and incalculable injury to the
country through removal of the restricting
influence, and will revive all the mischiev-
Gus and dishonest undertaking for traffic
and unfair discrimination between shippers
and localities which the interstate act was
intended to stop. Argument of that sort
implies either ignorance of facts or indiffer-
ence to them. The cutting of rates is now
in spite of the Joint Traffic Association, as
unrestricted and as reckless as it ever was
The same newspapers which contained the
decision of the Supreme Court also con-
tanned news reports of enormous shipments
of grain from Chicago to Baltimore at 10
cents II cents being the rate established by
the association, and from st. Louis to the
St ra1g at rny s tb i0wer II IS
munity was disguised by the refusal to stop
DETERMINATIONS against New. York, which
have been as unfair and injurious under the
Joint Traffic Association as they ever were
before 1t was formed or the interstate law
was enacted.
The naked truth is that the Joint Traffic
Association has dismally failed to restrain
competition or to prevent the abuses which
1T was held necessary to prevent But
guished railroad managers and influential
members of the association were praying
Congress to alter or sweep away the inter-
state act and to legalize pooling, on the de-
clared ground that all existing associations
had failed, and were necessarily unable to
restrain competition without the compelling
power which a legalized pool could exercise.
1t is surely the height of unreason to claim
that associations which have been tried for
years, in good times and in bad, and have
confessedly proved utterly unable to pre-
vent the evils they promised to stop, cannot
now be swept away as illegal without grave
fVo1r TO u NoiIr aa dc md tho, Nt1Il
There is considerably more reason for
thinking that the abolition of associations
which pretend . to render render service to the
though confessedly unable to do SO still con-
tinue to stand in the way of any other
remedy. would be a good thing for the coun-
If half the grain rate to the seaboard is cut
off by competition, at the very time the as
restoration %" of rates, It would be better to
have the thing done openly, with no fraud
or humbug about it. If the associations pre-
tend to control their members, and yet are
utterly unable to do so, it would be better
by far to have stockholders and bondholders
brought by heavy. a losses to a realizing
tain. If there is no power in associations
to stop glaring and unjust discrimination
against New York, let all pretense of estab-
can then concentrate enough traffic to make
1t worth while for one route or another to
deal fairly toward this city.
So of all the other evils of which the public
complains, and as justly under the pretended
control of associations as it ever did before
the interstate act was passed. The law pre-
tends to render a public service, but fails
The associations pretend to render a service
alike to shareholders and the public, but
competition would be better. no matter how
destructive for time to the railroads, be-
cause those who own them would then be
forced to apply the only remedy that can
possibly be effective. To talk Of Injurious
results to the public is not sensible The
public would get cheap transportation at
all events, and determinations not more Of
fensive or injurious than now exist, until
the owners of railroads compel their man
ayers to return TO the first principle Of hon
partial and faithful service of those who
employ them.