The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-22

ana commercial organizations.
 Enlightened railway managers ad-
 mt that government supervision of tn-
 terstate trafiic is necessary and are
 to inteiiigentiy shape Iegislation upon the subject. MT. A. J. Cassatt. head
 Of the great Pennsylvania system of
 ll,000 miles. is but one of many raii-
 way presidents who favor giving the
 Interstate Commerce Commissi0n pow
 CT to readjust unfair rates, provided the
 roads are permitted to nalEe pooling contracts that can be- enforced in oOurt.
 For ten years after the creation of
 the Interstate Commerce Commieston
 body wss fS & niv sne
 Of carriers and shippers, q report and opinion and an order-to enforce the
 substitution of reasoriabie rate for
 one adtudged unreasonable. The
 United States Supreme Count eight
 years ago. however. decided that the
 commission had not power to fix. a rate. Ever since that decision the commits sion in its annual reports has cited tn- stances of gross discrimination and un- fair charges and asked for restoration of the power 1t had originally exercts- ed.
 In their latest report. the Commis- sioners renew this request They point out that in the present state of the
 law they can condemn the wrong but
 
 situation," the assert. ''is regarded as increasingly grave in view of the rapid disappearance of railway compe- | tition and the maintenance of rates es- | tablished by combination, attended as
 they are by substantial advances on | many articles of household necessity. They refer also to the evils of private freight cars owned by the shippers or by private car lines. This matter has | of late been the subject of much public
 discussion. When the ownnr of the l car is also dealer in or owner Of the commodity transported the advantage l over competitors Is obvious. A practical l monopoly in the ownership of refrige- rator cars for the movement of certatn commodities creates our beef and fruit
 the public. The commission reccm- mends that these private car line com | panies be brought under Jurisdiction of the Interstate Act and also urges Con gress to provide q remedy for the dangerous powers of discrimination ir- volved in great corporations owner- ship of terminal railroads.
 Some of the evils of which shippers complain are source of annoyance
 and loss to the railways, the only
 parties who profit being the powerful interests who secure advantage over weaker competitors. The cost of Transportation over our 209,000 miles of railroad enters into the price or | every product and commodity, and sta- bility and equality of rates in mat
 ter that closely affeGts the intsrssas ,ss .ef of | that progressive railway men concede that reasonable regulation Is necessary | and are preferred to meet half way I the present demands of an aroused pupils sentiment. A special despatch Ito this mornings Herald from Sioux City notes that within & fortnight a ldozep conventions of trades and com merial bodies in Iowa have adopted resolutions calling the States represen- | tatives in Congress to assist in secur- ing legislation. The Interstate Com merce Law Convention recently held in St. Louis represented more than four hundred commercial and manufactur- | ing organizations. national. State and | granges, and through its Executive Committee 1t is strongly pressing Con. gress to pass the Charles Cooper bill giving to the Interstate Commission l the power to substitute after due notice | a fair rate for one found to be dis criminating or unreasonable.
 This power was not abused durine | the ten years it existed and falls short of that possessed by commissions fr | twenty of the States. Still there is objection fin some quarters to its be- ing vested in the Interstate Commits sion. Whether 1t ba lodged in the commission or in a court created tf deal exclusively with railway disputes and problems Is of minor importance l. ter for universal qualification that the discussion being conducted by bott shippers and carriers with admirable | teu1per and in a spirit of fairness which | is a guarantee against injustice to any vested interest.