The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-27

seemed to me that we must create spec
cial tribunal, in the nature of a commerce
court, which should be charged with the
duty of reviewing and enforcing the Or
ders of a commission, from which appeal
upon questions of law, and perhaps those
Of fact, should lie to the supreme court
of the United States. The members 81
such tribunal would be appointed ed. for lite
and would therefore possess the CONVERSE
tism Of court. They would not come IN
direct contact with the parties in the same
way that commission does, and hence
would be removed from those influences
of quasi-personal nature. They would
stand responsible to public opinion for
the proper discharge Of their duties. After
all, they would speedily become an expert
body, even more familiar with the matters
at issue than commission itself, and
would be able to act intelligently' and
| ''Such a tribunal would not be confined
to reviewing and enforcing the orders OF
commission, even though It's duties We're
limited to the regulation Of interstate rail-
ways. 1t happens con- inualY that ma tiers
arise which require the application Of i'm
mediate relief, which can only safely and
properly be given through the summary
process Of court. It Is quite probable
too that such a court might be available
1eulo uI HIodouou2. ulIM .Su1teep, NJ
branches of interstate commerce than
railway transportation
No Way to Correct Mistakes. LII
Walker D. Hines. first vice president OF
the Louisville & Nashville railroad COM
pany read a paper on Legislative Regu-
lation of Railroad Rate" He said: 3
THE interstate commerce commission
Is neither an expert nor an impartial tri-
bunal, as is proved by it's decisions and
the actions Of the courts upon them. 1t
is unnecessary, unWise and unjust to give
such a tribunal practically final power
over the private capital invested In rail-
| roads. At present the mistakes Of the
railroads can be adequately corrected In
the courts under the proposed method,
the mistakes Of the commission could not
be corrected anywhere. .-->-s:..e.:es 3,
The claim that low rates are due to
railroad competition and that as such
competition is disappearing, the power to
reduce the, rates should be given to the
commission is fallacious because the gem
EARLY low basis Of rates Is due to thetcom-
petition between markets and between
products and to the act that economical
railroad management necessitates con-
stantly increasing the volume of traffic
and these conditions are bound to con-
tinue. r. = r k = p, ssoss'
Although traffic conditions are not
an abstract proposition. the railroads
undoubtedly have the right to share in
the general prosperity when all other ser
vices and commodities increase in price. s
1.-The railroads of this country are
largely responsible for it's industrial and
commercial supremacy. Sef-interest will
undoubtedly prompt them to do every
| thing in their power to maintain that SUI
premacy. Certainly the material welfare
- Ill Sy> Ia
past upon rate making by the commits
sion, and it cannot be promoted thereby in
the future '---
The discussion was participated in by
Professor Emery Johnson, University OF
Pennsylvania; Professor Balthazer, Uni
versity of Wisconsin, and J. Shirley Eaton,
statistician Of the Lehfgh Valley railroad
A Discussion Of Wages.
A session of the association was held
this afternoon. Professor John B. Clark
Of Columbia university delivered an adj
dress on THE Dynamics of the Wages
Question" He said: ---
Wages are always tending toward a
standard fixed by the productive power Of
| labor and this standard rises as the
productive power Of labor increases. The
actual pay of labor also rises, but it lags
behind the standard by certain interval.
The exictence OF some interval between
the pay of labor and the standard toward
| which it tends Is the sole condition sOf
pure business profits These are forever
converting themselves into additions to
other incomes, and particularly to wages,
| and this produces the rise that is con-
! tinually taking place in the pay Of labor
| new sources, and the improvements which
| creates them cause the standard Of wages
| again to rise. 49, .
| Monopoly may have several effects. 1t
may retard the rise of the standard of
! wages and cause the actual rate to lag
| behind it by an abnor1nally long and in
creasing interval In this case, monopoly
| is at it's worst.
Again monopoly may not check the adj
vance of the standard itself, but may
| cause the actual rate to remain by al
| increasing distance behind it. This effect
is less disastrous than the former one.
|! monopoly may let the standard rise
| at a natural rate, and cause actual pay
| to follow at an interval that is unnaturally
| long but fixed. This is tolerable condi-
| ton. 't
| Monopoly may cause the, standard tt
rise with accelerated speed and cause the
| actual rate Of pay to follow at an interva
| that is long but fixed. This is the best
that can be hoped for as the result of til,
consultations of capital and labor
which are the marked fea.
ture of modern business. I,
would give a rate Of pay that in a snort
time would equal the rate that would have
| been realized in the absence of the con
| solicitations and forever after would sur.
| pass that rate and distance it by a longer
and longer interval. In practice, only the
monopoly which is incomplete, since it i.
checked by the power of surviving and DO.
tential competition, can have this effect.
| A discussion which was taken part ir
by John Hisbon, Of London, England
Thomas M. Carver, professor Of politica
economy of Harvard university; Simon N
Patten, University of Pennsylvania, ane
Alvin s. Johnson, Of Columbia university
followed the delivery Of Professor Clark's
address, after, which the convention ad.
| journed until Monday.
R0UMANIA IS "T0LERANT''
! The Senate of That Country Agrees