Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-08
RAILROADS CRITICISED.
of Commerce Commis.io,
Makes some severe Comments.

Chairman of Commerce Commission
Makes Some Severe Comments.
Chicago. Aug. 8.-The Times Herald
says:
In language too strong to admit of
any question Martin "A. Knapp, chair
man OF the interstate commerce COM
last night accused the railroad
officials of America of being worse enc
mics of the business and commerce and
transportation interests of this country
than even the widest of populistic agi-
tators would dare to be. And he re-
ferred especially to the injurious dis
elimination which the railroads had put
In force against Chicago and its trade
with the Atlantic coast.
He was roundly applauded by 200 Chi
cago manufacturers and business men,
who had assembled to listen to him at
the dinner given by the National As
ISOLATION Of Merchants and Travellers at
the Auditorium Hotel, and even the
railroad officials themselves, who were
present in force, could not avoid indca.
ltions of approval of what he said.
II undertake to say said Mr.. Knapp.
that If the worst enemy of the rail-
roads whom you can name We're elected
president OF the United States. and if
he should pack the Interstate commerce
commission with the worst populists of
the land, those men would never dare to
do the reckless and indecent things
which the managers of railroads them
selves have done. Can you name any
five men so ignorant, so prejudiced, so
inimical to the common interests of the
country that they would upset the COM
merce of the country and demoralize
rates and business in the way the rail-
road men have done by putting in the
rates that now prevail to the seaboard
| by way of Galveston from the Missouri
river? Would they let the Missouri
| river rate be as low as the Chicago
rate? Would they allow flour to be
carried from Minneapolis to the Allan
tic cheaper than from Chicago? In
| such things the railroads are making a
Fearful misuse Of their power.
Mr.. Knapp was led to these remarks
| in answering the criticims that had
been made by railroad officials of his
plan for the reform of railroad legisla-
4 ton. He had argued that a strong body
Tor commission was needed, with power
Ito see that railroad rates We're public,
land that they were fairly and impair
italy applied, and with the further
Ipower to fix new tariffs where the ones
set up by the railroads We're unjust.
Such power, he said, must be placed
somewhere for the benefit of the com
merce of this country. and he argued
that it was not tGo great for COM
merce commission.
The men before whom he spoke had
come to listen to him and to Paul Nor
ton, third vice president and genera
manager of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe railroad, discuss needed rail-
way legislation. They included moi
iIonly Chicago merchants of all classes
but prominent railroad officials. board
aIof trade men and manufacturers
i Every member of the interstate com
merce commission was present at tn,
lspeakers' table.
4 The gathering had been brought to-
gether by the National Association O
4 Merchants and Travellers, and wa:
purely meeting for enlightenment
The association intends to enter upon ;
movement for a reform in railway leg
], Iislation during the next session of con
gress. and this Is one of the steps in tn
lformation of its plans.
ltinct aspects of railway legislation. On
concerned the ways and means b.
) which railway officials could be made L
J obey laws against discrimination am
Z rate cutting when proper laws wer
made. Upon this the two main speak
ers differed. Mr.. Knapp said most EN-
! phatically that such violations of tn
law were immoral and ought to b
!. treated as criminal. He would like 7
see the offenders punished as felons. ~
be sure, he preferred a change in tn
laws which would remove the tempta
tions to offense. but he was none tn
less positive in his denunciations OF tn
crimes committed.
Mr.. Morton, the railroad man, dis
agreed with Mr.. Knapp on this. H
condemned the offenses, but said tina
! imprisonment was rot a proper pen
; Ialty. Heavy fines-slo,Oo0 for each OF
fensshe thought would be better
Iowa ut Washington.
washington, Aug S.-The postoffic