The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-14

| insist that the best means for the main
Istenance of rates is the pool and that
pooling ought TO be legalized
They also maintain that associations
for the maintenance of rates are eff
fective for the same purpose. If the
public wants uniform rates and no dis
elimination, it is argued that pools and
associations should be encouraged. 1t
has already developed in western traffic.
and shipping circles that If the Corliss
bill amending the Interstate commerce
law is pushed, an amendment will be Of
fered to legalize pooling. 1t is the opin-
ion of the advocates Of both sides of the
question that the president and Attorney
General Knox will make a thorough inves-
tigation in order to know where they are
| at on this important piece Of legislation.
incidentally the interstate commerce COM
mission is to be given the opportunity
to prove that it is earning its money.
The Commission Criticized.
Here is where the traffic men figure that
they have their smile. Assertions that
the present commission is not eXerting
itself to the limit in applying the law
ito traffic affairs have been made within
the past six months. The New York FL
nancial Chronicle has voiced these state
| ments in an editorial against the proposed
amendments in which it maintains that
by an amendment to the law in 1891 con-
|
power to enforce it's findings that any SIM
liar body in the land has. 1t has also
been asserted that since the days when
Thomas w. Cooley was a member of the
commission that body has degenerated in
ability and ambition and instead of doing
| the best it could under the present law
and working for amendments that were
practical and possible, has simply made
a demand for more power. This is the
| other side of the case which has been
presented to the president and the traffic
men while hustling to clear their own back
! yards and get out of the way Of the two
| laws mentioned are smiling at what they
believe is a shake down. for the commits
sion. The object Of the interstate COM
merce law is to prevent discrimination
between shippers commodities, and mar
| kets. Traffic men generally believe that
the president is doing the right thing in
investigating the conditions, the effective
ness of the law and the utility Of the
commission. They believerthat he will
be convinced that giving the rate making
! power over to the commission is not the,
| amendment most needed to make the law
! effective and at the same time a benefit
to the commercial interests of the coun-s
try. .@ .. r
Cullom and Eastern Interests.
One feature of Interstate commerce law
| agitation which has been given little no
| tlce by the press but which Will undoubt-
eddy cut considerable figure in the fight
now on at Washington is the effect the
law is likely to have on the various sec
lions of the country 1t has been main
tanned for several years that notwith- Z
standing the fact that Senator Cullom
was the author Of the original law, the real
power behind the legislation was the COM
| mercial interests of the eastern states.
| 1t is represented that the west had been
growing SO rapidly and Interior jobbing
| and manufacturing developing SO fast that
the eastern seaboard interests sought re-
lief from western competition in this leg
! islation. The "long and short haul clause"
was the result. Traffic men insist that
were it not for the broad Interpretation
placed upon this provision Of the law
/, interior jobbing and manufacturing would
| have received a severe set back. All
| this is expected to come out in the wash
as President Roosevelt has determined to
go to the bottom of the sea of argument.