The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-14
IT'S ANNUAL APPEAL
Issued by the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
PRESENT LAW is A FARCE
Report Is Largely Devoted to
Showing How Farcical.

Washington, D. c.. Jan. 1s.-The annual
report of the isterstate commerce commit
sion was given out today. In It the COM
mission says:
I'm previous reports to congress atten-
tion has been called TO the many aspects
in which the act has proved defective ana
INADEQUATE. Some of its provisions were
seen early to be imperfect, while others
were so uncertais or ambiguous as TO give
-;sa 70 nrotracted litigation. resulting hhal-
" in authoritative construction oy en
s,,nraue court of the United States Inc
oo,,r,ission has taken much pains 10 eA-
nIsir various questions that nave 'hNS
-, decided and the effect OF these ac-
i,,5,oa+iors &c defeating the purposes OF the
oct To state that the law, in its present
~o,5i+ior cannot be enforced is only 10
reneat what has already been salo. ~
I'll further and important leglsiaeion
enacted the best efforts at regulation mus.
ne feeble and disappointing. In QUIZ ias
annual report We not only set forth u
yepara, terms the necessity for amending
the law hut formulated and proposed the
snecitic amendments which appear to US
rosit;velv essestial. with the renewal OF
these recommendations. the duty OF the
commission in this regard remains dlS-
charged.
"eManwhile the situation has become IN
tolerable. both from the standpoint OF the
public and the carriers. Tariffs are as
regarded. determinations constantly occur
he price at which transportatios can De
obtained, is fluctuating and uncertain
Railroad managers are disuustful OF each
other and shippers all the while In DOUBT
as to the rates secured by thHr compeu-
tors. The volume of traffic Is so unusual
as TO frequently exceed the capacity OF
eouipment. yet the contest for tonnage
seems never relaxed. Esormous sums are
spent in purchasing business and secret
rates accorded far below the standard Of
pubic charges The general public gets
little benefit from these reductions Tor
concessions are mainly confined to the
heavier shippers.
"Al this augments the advastages OF
large capital and tends to the injury and
often to the ruin of small dealers THESE
are not only matters Of gravest conse-
ouence 10 the business welfare Of the coun-
80. out laey concern III Iess Ges.ee
the higher interest of public morality.
.'It is perfectly clear that observance OF
tariff rates is entirely within the power oil
the railway managers. and that 1t would
be vastly for the advantage of the raj
WAYS as a whole. 1t would, however, De
difficult and often ruinous for one railway
TO maintais rates while its competitor
makes secret concessions, and 1t Is also
TO be admitted that. justified or not, the
results are substantially as claimed BY the
carriers. A large part of the railway bus
iress is now transacted upon Illegal rates,
and in certain quarters, charging the pub
Ished rate is the exception. The results
are gross discriminatioss between individ-
ua.s and gross preferences between To-
cauties, which most always favor the
strong and Cypress the weak Probably
no one thing today does so much to force
out the smaller operator and build up those
trusts and monopOlles against which law
and public opinion alike beat is vain, as
determinations in freight rates. A fur
Their result Is that railway business Is
carried on largely in conceded violation OF
law This condition the present law Is
powerless TO control. The criminal RENE
dies which have been applied. and some
convictions have been had. but no sub
stantial effect has been produced and no
satisfying results can be obtaised from
that course. The fact may be morally
certain, but the name. the date, the
amount cannot be shown with the par
ticularity and certainty required by Grim
isal law.
IF unrestricted competition produces
discrimination, one obvious way to pre-
vent such discrimination is 70 restrict
competition. Whether existing conditions
would be improved By legaHZisg railway
contracts without depending upon the ex-
tent TO which the agreements were made /
and actually enforced by the carriers. SO /
far as the commission can obtain informa- /
ton. there is at present no other great ma /
tios which endeavors 70 enforce competi- /
ton between its railways. although in I
naaaa v-a.fCF breu tried