The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-11-14
WEATHER FORECAST.
Tonight cloudy; Saturday fair.
McADIE.
FRIDAY. NOVEMBER IA, 1902
NEW INTERSTATE COMMERCE LAW.

For years the Interstate Commerce
Commission of the United States has
been clothed with a dignity which 1t
has failed to sustain. The original
statute under which 1t was created
wa intended, in the popular mind at
least, to give power to prevent unjust
discrimination and the levy of Excess
sive charges for transportation. This
intent has been defeated in a great
measure through defects in the law,
and the commission has distinguished
itself mainly through it's habit of hold
ing hearings" which seem to yield no
practical results, says the Los Ange-
les Express.
True, 1t issues an annual report,
which is of interest chiefly to those
who like mortuary statistics and en-
joy puzzles in decimal fractions, which
are intended to throw light on such
vague propositions as per ton per
mile" This publication is of undoubt-
ed value in showing what railroads
charge-after they have collected the
money, but the public would prefer
that action be taken before the freight
is paid. Through it's inability to en-
force its rulings, except through te-
dious legal procedure, the Interstate
Commerce Commission has brought
few malefactors to punishment. There
are intimations that it is mentioned
with unseemly levity in inner railroad
circles, and there is no question that
the outside public, regards it as a pure
ly harmless institution for either good
or evil.
This unfortunate attitude is surely
a reproach both to the people Of the
country and to Congress. The COM
mission has pleaded for years for an
enlargement Of it's jurisdiction and
power, and it is time to remind the
legislators at Washington that the
farce should cease. A bill with such
a purpose IL view was before the last
Congress, but it died in committee. 1t
should now be resurrected and passed
without delay.
Elkins bill, gave the commission pow
er to change rates found to be discrim-
NATIVE or unreasonable and make them
operative within thirty days after no.
tice to the offending carrier. The bur-
den then would be upon the transpor-
tation company, through appeal to the
courts, to prove that the ruling of the
commission is wrong. The bill also
gives carriers the privilege of estab-
fishing traffic arrangements among
themselves, subject, however, to the
supervision by the commission, which
has power to annul such agreements.
Another important provision is that
which requires the commission to in
vestigate cases where transportation
companies indulge in rate cutting, a
practice which gives favored shippers
an advantage over others and demon
Allies the business of the country. In
such instances the commission is to be
clothed with power to enforce observ-
ance of published tariffs, and also to
punish those who benefit by cut rates.
One good point in the proposed law
is the change in penalties. Heretofore
individuals as agents of corporations
were punishable. me new statute will
punish the companies by fines ranging
FROM $1,000 to $40, 900. Imprisonment
penalties are abolished, but agents still
are to be punished by fines. All these
provisions are apparently designed to
give effect to the original intention of
the interstate IN law and the
pubic should demand their enactment.