The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-13


 ward movement in rates. Railroad consolidation was going on at an in creasing rate during all these years, but it has not affected the downward tendency of rates. In the year 19OO, de- spite the fact that 1t was the most prosperous year ever known, with eX- tremely high prices, which resulted in some increase in freight rates, the aV- craze rate per ton per mile was far lower than it had ever been in the his tory of the country, with the exception of the preceding year. The reason for such reduction is that the competition which influences rates is worldwide and unavoidable. Economic conditions are such that every part of the world competes with every other part. Rall- roads purely from se1f-interest are bound constantly so to adjust their rates as to meet the innumerable com petitive conditions which exist in the markets of the world so as to get the products along their respective lines to the markets of the world so as to com pete with similar products from other sections of the country and probably from other countries This Is not a mere theory. It is simply the expla- nation of the fact that although rail- roads have combined more and more rates have steadily tended downward. These considerations are, no doubt. true to a greater extent with respect to through or long distance rates than with respect to short distances and purely local rates. although even the latter are subject to such influences. Certainly there has been no increase in even the most strictly local or SO call ed non- competitive rates. The pamph- let in question points out with much Ia1o hot sumner who pays the rate. and there fore he gets the benefit of low rate or has the disadvantages of a high rate. It consequently results that the humIblest citizen at the smallest sta ton on any railroad in Alabama gets the full benefit to the extent that he buys anything of the very low long distance rates which now prevail. be- cause the fact that those rates are low affects the price which he has to pay for the things which he buys. And likewise so far as the producer pays the rate on what he sells he gets the benefit of the low long distance rates on which his products have to move to their ultimate market.
 The pamphlet in question declares that the traffic manager may decree whether an industry shall prosper or wither away. whether town shall flourish or die of the dry rot. If the traffic manager has so vast a power is 1t wise to intrust such power to a public tribunal which may be swayed 1 by local influences and whose action in discriminating against one locality l in favor of another is beyond any pow 1 CT to review. It is certainly not to the interest of railroad company to cause industries to wither away or towns to die of the dry rot. and Ala bama is perhaps the last place where | instances of such foolhardiness in rail- road management could be discovered. It is the interest of the traffic mana ger when appointed by the railroad 1 company to encourage to the greatest possible extent the traffic along his | line by making rates which will de- velop that traffic instead of destroying it. If he for any reason so adjusts rates as unjustly to discriminate for or against any locality or person. such | discrimination can be readily estab- | lished and speedily punished and stop | ped This is more than can be said of any unjust discrimination which might result from rates fixed by a railroad commission