Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-15
A CALL FOR RELIEF
Interstate Commerce Commission Re-
ports to Congress-
WANTS ITS POWERS INCREASED
Helpless to Limit the Charges of
Railways
REGARDED AS OPPORTUNE

The interstate commerce commission to-
Gay made public its thirteenth annual re-
Iort The feature of the report Is the
strong plea made that Congress uphold the
bands of the commission by amendments
making the interstate commerce law more
effective. The report says that the coih-
mission a year ago called attehtioh 10 the
fact that in vital respects the present law
has proved defective and inadequate ana
that until further legislation is provided
the best efforts at regulation must De lee
bic and disappointing. The requests OF the
lrnnoission for needful amendments have
been supported by petitions and memorials
from agricultural. manufacturing and COM
r5ercisI interests throughout the country
Vet, saws the report. not 4 line of the stat
i,ta has been changed and none of the bur
d,rsome conditions which gall for reiiet mas
been removed or modified"
The Commission Helpless.
The existing situation and the develop
rnents of the past year, it is added. render
-. f,oreratIve than ever before the neces-
sJty for speedy and suitable legislation.
Eine-tenths Of the people know that any
,.flroad company can charge for its service
whatever IL pleases and as much as II
r,Ieascs. without any real power in this
commission or any other tribunal or court
tn limit the amount of such charge for the
future when complaint 5 made by an az
c,rieyed shipper. and they are supStthtldlLy
If one mind in desiring that TINS ana other
defects in the statute be promptly renedieu-
summers generally also have Deen pracli-
NV unanimous in favor of single ciasai-
Acation of freights, ore that WIN De UNI to
-, Tor ali roads and all sections or the
country and reasonably stable Wheh estto-
lished. ,..,sao,;on has
This general public dissatisfaction ha as
been frequently expressed IN res'i n,tS ~
various national organizations ana at d
conference in Chicago last November. at-
Tended by representatives from hunloei vi
national associations OF manuidCtuie -
merchants and others, bill embracing Ihe
y1ore important amendments recommended
by the commission was approved as tiie
measure which would best meet the re-
f1,iremcntS of business and commercial IN
+rasts This bill Senator Cullom has in
troiuced and the report significantly sug-
cests whether continued failure TO perfect
the regulating statute on reasonable lines
will not soon result in an irresistible de-
rnand for the most radical and drastic iegs-
lation-
Continuing. the report adds:
Schemes of Railway Control.
..It 10 a matte Of common knowledge that
vast schemes OF railway control are now in
process Of contamination, and that the
competition Of rival lines Is to be restrained
by these combinations. While this move
ment has not yet found full expression in
the actual consolidation of railroad corpo-
rations. enough has TRANSFERRED to disclose
a unification Of financial interests which
will dominate the management and harmo-
nize IT, ions of lines heretofore in
dependent and competitive. This is today
the most noticeable and important feature
of the railway situation. II the plans al
ready foreshadowed are brought to effect
i've results. and others of similar scope are
carried to execution. there will be a vast
Capitalization of railroad properties with
all the power involved in such far-reaching
combinations. yet uncontrolled by any pub
lie authority which can be efficiently ex-
erted. The restraints of competition upon
excessive and unjust rates will in this way