The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-25

the hands Of competent tribunal The
Interstate commerce law wse passed to
prevent discrimination. Its opera lions
indicate the mistakes which "a great,
patriotic and able body dealing with a
thousand subjects, can make in provid-
ing ironclad rules for the transporta-
ton companies. Because the conditions
of our internal commerce and of our
export and import trade through var
ious ports and Canadian outlets are
constantly changing, this situation can
only be wisely administered by a bu-
reau of the government possessing very
elastic discretionary powers. The inter-
state commerce law was enacted to
prevent determinations, and yet its
operation has been to create combina-
tons and trusts, to destroy the indie
pendence of the individual to injure
small places and small industries be-
yond all other agencies combined.
Competition as Remedy.
Competition is the remedy provided
by the Interstate commerce law to pre-
vent determinations. The object of the
Trainer of that law was to stimulate
the normal efforts of rival lines to draw
business from each other. The COM
mission and the author of the law now
frankly admit that the method has in
tensifed the evils it sought to cure.
Railway competition differs from that
known in trade. If merchant or man
ufacturer fights a rival concern, and
has the longer purse as we'll as bust
ness brains, he drives his adversary
into bankruptcy and out of business,
then buys up his stock at ruinous
prices, and, having a monopoly, makes
up the losses of the contest by larger
sales and increased prices. But the
state fixes the passenger fares, and un-
der the common law as to reasonable
rates puts a limit upon freight charges.
The semi-public service rendered by the
railroad justfes these restrictions.
When "a railroad goes into bankruptcy
the territory of which it is the sole out
let has interests so great that the
courts will not permit its sharing the
fate of insolvency. The court runs it
regardless of it's owners and for the
public convenience. The big shippers
are always seeking exclusive favors,
and they bargain with the weak line
for all its shipments. This fills that
lines capacity, and the other lines
maintain rates which will give some re-
turn to the investors in the property.
The advantages possessed by these fla
VOred shippers on the bankrupt road
enable them in the close competition of
common markets to defeat and absorb
similar enterprises in ether localities,
ana tINat product goes lnlo trust
Then the trust or combination control
ling this article of necessity fixes its
own price to the producer and consumer
and distributes Its freight among the
roads a it's own rates. In short, it be-
comes the master of the railroad as
well as the public 1t is the genius of
our institutions to foster and promote
individual efforts. The greatest and
surest prosperity to the country lies in
t,,l~ ,S,1rN t.tT
places and not all concentrated in few
hands and at large terminal cities. The
interest of both the stockholder and the
employees of the railroad is to have
many shippers instead of one or two.
and business at as many local points
as possible. From your standpoint. my
friends distribution of patrons and
places means more trains, more cars.
more men in the shops and yards, more
activity at every station, and with bet
ter rates. larger earnings for the better
ment Of the road, the increase of its
facilities and public service, and the re-
turn to it's stock and bond holders of
fair dividends and interest. No other
way has yet been devised to accom-
plish these results than pooling con-
tracts made under the supervision and
control of the Interstate commerce
commission.
This supervision and control takes
away the dangers which were appre
hended from these combina tons. The
government becomes a party to the
contract. The government judges of
their reasonableness before they can be
executed. The government keeps its
eyes and hand upon their workings and
modfies or annuls them as the public
interests require. One line runs for a
thousand miles through an agricultural
country, with few industries, and has
heavy grades, many bridges across NV
ere and is handicapped in other ways;
but that line is the life of the community
Continued on Page Six