The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-19
FORCES WAR ON
THE RAILROADS
INTIMATION Is THAT THE PRESE-
DENT NOW BELIEVES IN Gov
ERNMENT OWNERSHIP
KNAPP's TALK SIGNIFICANT
Puts Himself in. Serious Danger of
Defeat In Convention by His I'm
expected Course In Sud-
den Prosecutions
FIGHT ON MERGER Baked
FROM THE GLOBE BUREAU,
Washington, ID. c.

FROM THE GLOBE BUREAU,
Washington, ID. c.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 1S.-Gov-
eminent ownership of railroads is now
openly and unequivocally advocated by
Chairman Martin A. Knapp, of the in
/ terstate commerce commission. In
speech last Wednesday before the Peter
Cooper Institute of New York, Mr.. Knox
charged that the railroads We're chiefly
responsibible for the growth of trusts,
and that the largest profits of the trusts
were gained by unfair rate advantages
given them by the railroads.
Mr. Knapp and President Roosevelt are
intimate friends. On many points rela-
tive to governmental regulation of rail-
roads Mr. Knapp and the president are
in harmony. 1t is with the presidents
support that the interstate commerce
commission has recently started its cam
paign for preventing rebates and pool
ing. The president agrees with Knapp,
that railroad conditions are in serious
need of reforming. In his message
Roosevelt declared for more power to
the federal government as represented
by the interstate commerce commits
sion.
When Mckinley was alive the chair
man of the interstate commerce commits
sion Gid not do and say the things he
is now doing and saying. Therefore,
when he talks openly and urgently for
government ownership and supervision or
railroads, there is at least an interest
ing query suggested, as to how far he
speaks for himself alone, and how much
he reflects of the ideas and plans of the
president of the United States.
LAS 1 view the matter" said Mr..
Knapp, 1.-The state has as much right
10 farm out its business OF collecting us
revenue. or preserving the peace, and
then allow the parties entrusted with
those duties to fix the rate of taxation
according to their interests, or to sell
personal protection to the highest bid
der, as it has to permit the great func-
ton of public carriage to be the subject
of special bargain or secret decker, to be
made unequal by favoritism or oppres-
sive by eXtoTtion. No service which the
government undertakes can be made
more useful and no duty which rests
upon it is more imperative than to Sc
cure to the public always and every
where just and equal treatment by every
carrier"
Severe Toward the Railroads.
'Marse Henry Watterson the eminent
editor of the Louisville Courier-JournaI,
has been in Washington long enough to
learn that there are Roosevelt and anti
Roosevelt factions in the Republican
party. Coming from the mouth of so
famous and gifted a man, the story will
now be credited. AS matter Of fact,
Col. Watterson is right.
When he has been in " ashington
little longer, the colonel will discover
that q new issue has lately been injected
into the political situation, an Issue
which may prove quite as potent OF re-
suits as the Philippine and imperialistic
issues upon which he lays such stress.
This is the railroad issue.
1t looks as if President Roosevelt were
in a. fair way-if indeed he has not
already done soto win for himself the
antagonism Of the vast railway inter
ests of the country. The method by
which he has done this is very simple:
he has ordered the department of JUS
tice, the interstate commerce commits
sion and all the departments of the ma
tional executive, to move for the full
enforcement of the laws now on the
statute books for the regulation and re-
straint of the railroads. He has given
the order, and has persuaded those to
whom he gave it, that he meant what
he said
Already the results are apparent The
wheels have begun to turn, and suits
have sprung up all over the country.
Pooling organizations which have been
in operation for years have dissolved;
'AAAPPSAo nave OSGlt IOlIIl0u IIldL IH6r0
will be no more rebates; district attor-
neys are busy with suits under the Sher-
man antitrust law; special attorneys of
the interstate commerce commission are
preparing bills in equity to enjoin future
violations of the interstate commerce
act; lawyers for the railroads are busy
examining into the state of their cor
porate form, and the devices by which
they have merged and consolidated the
S-V1ps S,,Na 4T,
There is action all along the line
In moving thus against the railroads
President Roosevelt has also moved
against the trusts. He believes with
Chairman Martin A. Knapp, of the inter
state commerce commission, that the
trusts are largely creatures OF the rail-
roads; that they are built up by discrim-
nations in their favor against the small
manufacturer. The rebates which one of
the great trusts is able to get from the
railroads are often an amount great
enough in the aggregate to yield a hand
some profit on the business, exclusive of
any other profits 1t is by the favor of
the railroads that great trusts like the
Standard Oil trust and the anthracite
coal trust, the elevator trust the meat
trust, and a hundred others, have been
able TO stifie competition and maintain
prices.
ANA SAOtC, says MI 1AUdpp-dnu the
president-take away the special favor of
the railroad from some particular shipper
at some particular terminal point and
you rob the trust of half it's power and
of great share of it's ill-gotten profits.
With readjusted freight rates the small
man again has a chance to compete, and
new industries spring up at points along
the line of railroad where it was impos-
Eible before. And with competition come
lower prices, which benefit the consumer.
But it is a long time since any serious
effort was made to bring the ranroads
of the country to book. 1t is unnecessary
10 go into reasons or excuses; there have
been wars, and panics, and campaigns,
and 1t seemed wise to let things take their
course; and in some respects the course
as not very bad one, judging by the
returns The fact remains that nothing
particular was done, and the railroads
Were allowed to go on practically as if
tnefe were no antitrust law or inter-
state commerce law, or anti-pooling law
on the books. 1t is hardly to be won