Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-11-30
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 80, 1904.

Will the proposed legislation pro-
hibiting a discrimination in freight
rates in Wisconsin really be effective?
The Chicago Tribune has come to the
conclusion that in many instances the
law Can ever be easily evaded and
gives the following reasons:
When the railroads of the country
find law passed which prohibits a
discrimination in freight rates between
shippers . by any special rate, rebate,
drawback. or other Device, a law
which intends that all shippers shall
be equally favored by the railroads,
what do they do? Do they faithfully
observe the law both in letter and in
practice, as loyal citizens of the
country should do, and in case they
think it unjust either prove it to the
courts or take the consequences? This
query seems childish when the facts
are known.
There are several methods used by
the railroads to evade the law against
rebates. One is the indus rial railway,
another is the private Car line, a third
is the fictitious damage claim. They
have all been revealed by the inter-
state commerce commission. They
are all ingenious, and it is difficult to
tell which is the most clever method
OF law breaking.
The industrial railroad is in reality
a switch track owned by the favored
shipper. He uses his own engines to
haul his freight a mile or so to the
connecting railroad and gets division
of the rate charged for hauling the
freight 10 it's destination In Chicago
per cent. Of the rate TO the Missouri
river. 1t is 500 miles to that point
Say they haul the freight five miles,
They do l per cent of the work and
get 20 per cent of the compensation.
This subterfuge gives them switching
charge of about $12 car, where the
ordinary charge would be about So
The owner of the industrial road in
this manner gets a rebate Of SO car
Ingenious as well as profitable!
The private car line is device by
which the favored shipper forwards
his freight IN his Own cars and the
railroads make him allowances for
using their own cars instead of theirs.
The railroads are said to be generous
to fault IN the allowances they grant
these private car owners.
The fictitious damage device has
been brought out recently in the in
quirv into live stock rates. It was
found that the favored shipper brought
In bill for damages to his stock
while in transit, and the railroads were
so taken aback and staggered by the
overwhelming evidence against them
that they forgot the customary practice
of contesting all damages especially
damages for death and injury to human
live stock-and paid the bills without
protest.
The interstate commerce commits
sion has ferreted out all these ingen-
ious methods of talented lawbreakers,
but it is Largely hampered in it's efforts
to check their operations for lack of
authority. The present law to regulate
commerce is ridiculous, because while
1t authorizes the discovery of law
breaking it provides no means for it's
prompt suppression when it is discov-
cred. It provides for diagnosis, but
not for remedy. 1t employs one
legged and one armed man to defend
the public against one in the possession
Of all his members. Congress should
end the pitible and unequal struggle
between the commission and the rail
roads. 1T can do SO by giving the
omission the powers it was origin
ally intended it should have.
The Chicago Record Herald in dis