The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-29
The Laws Lag.

sentative industrially, it Is intensely de-
voted to things Every few years
business reCrganizes itself, but the laws
remain unchanged; every few years the
progressive manufacturer SCRAPS his
entire equipment and puts in new and
far better one, but the business laws of
the country remain as they were. In
dustry is a pushing young man; our po-
litical institutions are aged and slow-go-
ing. The result is continued misfit
After much agitation and turmoil, we
get a law passed just as the condition it is
intended for disappears. We passed a
trust law just as the trusts were ceasing
to be trusts in legal sense We passed
an interstate commerce law based on
certain conditions of transportation or
saniza ton that were even then obsoles-
cent. Failing to note the changing con-
ditons we failed later to enact an inter-
state commerce law that would fit the
new conditions. Will our laws ever catch
up with out business?
When the interstate commerce law was
passed the encouragement Of competition
seemed to be the best way to keep down
o. railway rates, so pooling was forbidden,
and as result discrimination between
shippers increased so enormously that 1t
seemed to be the railroad crime Of the
age. Then came an agitation for a new
law, law that would authorize pooling
: and remove the temptation to grant secret
: rates and rebates. But before congress
got around to do anything on this sug-'
gestion-and it has done nothing yet
8 came not so much that some shippers
would get too low rat es. as that all would
have to pay too high. .s.~.,
, In consequence Of the growing monopo-
& lization Of the means Of transportation,
the gradual lowering of the cost Of trans
+ port. to which the opponents of legisa-
i tton for railway regulation used to point
triumphantly, has of late years given way
to a tendency to raise rates. This is not
3 surprising. The prime purpose OF urlre-
= strained monopoly is always to increase
revenues. Monopoly is attained with
view to getting more revenue from the
public, whether 1t be g, railway monopoly,
. sugar trust or the Standard Oil COM
! pany. -
In his address before the American
Economic association at Philadelphia, on
{ Saturday, Charles A.. Prouty, interstate
commerce commissioner, showed how
notwithstanding all their fine protesta-
tions about not raising rates the rail-
. way monopolies have bee slowly but
surely pushing them up. The railway"
says Mr.. Prouty, SIS the greatest and
most dangerous of all monopolles.'' The
unjustified advance in hay rates. costs
the producer and the consumer between
s2,o0o,ooo and 100000 annually Com
plants now filed with the Interstate com
merce commission represent an alleged
: unjust revenue of s15,0o0,0O0 year,
which is nothing more nor less than a
] repressive tax upon business.
The need Of the time is regulation of
Z rates by the federal government. = Rates
must be published rates, the same to ALL,
and they must not be excessive. Unjust
i or exorbitant railway rates can ruin re-
gions and businesses. They have ruined
the agricultural interests OF England
They made the Standard Oil company,
they have assisted the beef combine they
4 have attended the births of most of the
K greedy noncpolies Of the day: - -
Legislation Q this kind is an indirect
81 way to reach the trusts, to some extent.
Mr.. Prouty suggests certain method of
getting at the rate problem. In some
respects it resembles the amended Elkins
bill. but it goes farther. for it creates an
: expert court to deal with the complicated
questions that will arise when the gov
eminent undertakes to regulate rates
Is The particular method of reaching the
evil is not the important thing now. IT
is to get congress to take hold of the
question in earnest and do something
But congress is afflicted with that moss
back conservatism so valuable in many
sras OF history. but utterly useless and
III positive menace to the country when
s. conditions change 50 rapidly as they dc
& In this seethins, ever renewing America
The Manitoba Free Press distributed
acme unique Christmas tokens. Eacl
/. consisted Of little canvas bag OF penlnli