The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-15
Interstate Commerce Commits
sion Notifies Congress
That the Railroads Are Fast
Forming a Combination
TO Do AS THEY PLEASE
The Commission Is POwerless
to Stop Them
Without Aid In the Way Of
Additional Legislation.

Washington, Jan. 15.-The Interstate
Commerce commission today made pub
lie it's thirteenth annual report. The
feature of the report is the strong plea
made that congress uphold the hands
of the commission by amendments
making the interstate commerce law
more effective. The report says that
the commission a year ago called at
tention to the fact that in vital respects
the present law has proved defective
and inadequate and tnat until further
legislation is provided the best efforts
at regulation must be feeble and dis
appointing.
The requests of the commission for
needful amendments have been sup
ported by petitions and memorials from
agricultural, manufacturing and COM
mercisl interests throughout the coun-
try, yet says the report, not a line of
the statute has been changed and none
of the burdensome conditions which call
for relief has been removed or modified.
The existing situation and the develop
ments of the past year, it is added, rem
der more imperative than ever before,
the necessity for speedy and suitable
legislation. Nine-tenthS of the people
know that any railroad company can
charge for its service whatever 1t
pleases and as much as it pleaSeS, with
out any real power in this commission,
or in any other tribunal or court to
limit the amount of such charge. for
the future when complaint is made by
an aggrieved shipper, and they are sub
stantially of one mind in desiring that
this and other defects in the statute
be promptly remedied. Shippers gen
orally also have been practically unan-
imOus in favor of a single classification
of freightS, one that will be uniform
Tor all roads and all sections OF the
country and reasonably stable when
eSta bliShed.
This general public dissatisfaction
has been frequently expressed in reso-
lutions of various national organiza-
tions and at a conference in Chicago
last November attended by representa-
tives from a number of national ASSOC
Citations of manufacturers, merchants
and others, a bill embracing the more
important amendments recommended
by the commission was approved as the
measure that would best meet the re-
quirements of business and commercial
interests. This bill Senator Cullom
has introduced and the report Signifi-
cantly suggests whether continued fail
ure to perfect the regulating statute on
reasonable lines will not soon result in
an Irresistible demand for the most
radical and drastic legislation.
Continuing, it adds:
1t is a matter 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.
full expression in the actual consolida-
ton of railroad corporations, enough
has transpired to disclose a unificatiOn
Of financial interests which will dom
mate the management and harmonic
the operations OF lines heretofore inde-
pendent and competitive. This is today
the most noticeable and important fea-
ture of the railway situation. If the
plans already foreshadOwed are brought
to effective results and others of sim
liar scope are carried to execution.
there will be a vast Capitalization of
railroad properties. with all the power
involved in such far reaching combina-
tiOnS, vet uncontrolled by any public
authority which can be effectively ex-
erted. The restraints of competition
upon excessive and unjust rates will in
this way be avoided and whatever evils
may result will be remediIess under ex-
listing laws"
The increase in railroad business the
past year has been so great the report
says that many carriers found their
equipment inadequate for the service
required. Revenues increased greatly,
while railway failures fell off The rush
of business contributed to the lmprOV-
ed observance of published rates and
diminished the frequency of those prac-
tices which are made criminal misde
meanors by the statute.
"Coincident with those schemes of
unified control and while this excep-
tional movement of traffic continues, the
carriers operating throughout an exten-
Gently made substantial and in many
cases very large increases in their scale
of charges. These advances in rates
have been mainly effected by concerted
and agreed change in the classification
of freight articles. It is not intended
to intimate that these advanced rates
are not lawful, no opinion is expressed
as to their actual or relative reason
ableness. But the fact that such eX-
tensive increases in railroad charges
have been brought about by the meth
cd described must be of significant i'm
port and furnish a Weighty argument
in favor of measures which Will be ef-
fective to secure compliance with the
primary requirements of the act"
These changes were made without
hearing any protests of shippers and
whatever may be the merits of the
complaints the report urges that the
law ought to be so amended as to in
sure a determination wherever the rates
are just and reasonable.
Reference is made to the several con-
ferences had with high railway officials
early in the year with a view to gaining
from each promises to maintain their
published rates and to the good effect
of these conferences in checking the
rate decentralization then prevailing. 1t
is denied that the conference sought to
secure agreements to MAINTAIN rates
their only purpose being to secure good
faith in the published tariffs. Fifteen
cases are pending in federal courts to
enforce orders of the commission and
criminal cases are awaiting trial in
Louisiana, Texas and Georgia.
During the year 1899, there was 199
employees killed and $3.50 injured upon
SO roads against 209 killed and 5,4S4 in
1ured IN 1898 a. result attributed to the
more general equipment OF the roads
with safety appliances.
A review is made of judicial decis-
ions on Interstate commerce affairs
during the year Concerning the refus-
81 Of the circuit court for northern Il