The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-09
THE BILLINGS
duction Of our various great staples Of

ductiOn Of u various great staples O
commerce.
OF necessity the careful investigation
of special corporations will afford til,
commissioner knowledge of certain
business facts, the publication of which
might be an improper infringement O
private rights. The method OF maxim.
public the results of these investiga
tons affords, under the law, a means
for the protection of private rights
The congress will have all facts excep,
such as would give to another cor
poration information which would in
jure the legitimate business of a com
petitor and destroy the incentive FOL
Individual superiority and thrift.
The bureau has also made exhaustive
examinations into the legal condition
under which corporate business is ccr
ried on in the various states, into al
Judicial decisions on the subject and
into the various systems of corporate
taxation in use. l call special attention
to the report of the chief of the bureau
and l earnestly ask that the congress
carefully consider the report and rec
concentrations of the commissioner or
this subject.
The business of insurance vitality af.
fects the great mass of the people of
the United States and is national and
not local in its application. 1t involves
a multitude Of transactions among the
people of the different states and be-
tween American companies and for
eign governments. Mrge>that the con
gress carefully consider whether the
! power of the bureau of corporations
cannot constitutionally be extended to
cover interstate transactions in insur-
ance.
Rebates. ~
Above all else we must strive to keep
the highways of open to all
or equal terms, and to do this it is nee
essary to put a complete stop to all re-
bates. Whether the shipper OF the rail-
road is to blame makes no difference.
The rebate must be stopped, the abuses
track and side track systems must be
stopped, and the legislation of the Fiji
ty-eighth congress which declares it to
be unlawful for any person or corpora
ton to offer, grant, give. solicit, accept
or receive any rebate, concession or
discrimination in respect of the trans
portation Of any property In interstate
or foreign commerce whereby such
property shall by any device whatever
be transported at a less rate than that
named in the tariffs published by the
carrier must be enforced. While l am
Of the opinion that at present 1t would
be undesirable If it were not impractf-
cable finally to clothe the Interstate
commerce commission with general au-
thority to fix railroad rates, l do be-
heve that as a fair security to ship
pers the commission should be vested
with the power where d given rate has
been challenged and after full hearing
found to be unreasonable to decide, sub
ject to judicial review, what shall be a
reasonable rate to take it's place, the
ruling of the commission to take effect
Immediately and to obtain unless and
until it is reversed by the court of 10.
view.
Steamship companies engaged in IN
terstate commerce and protected in ga
coastwise trade should be held to a
strict observance of the interstate com
merce act.
1.-THE president here discusses the
city of Washington, making numerous
recommendations looking to it's better
government. He asks that laws be
passed preventing o~vercrowding in the
tenement districts, for the abolition OF
blind alleys and the proper housing OF
the poor. He also recommends changes
In the criminal code, and would have
wife heaters corporally punished.]
Irrigation.
During h two and a half years that
have elapsed since the passage of the
reclamation act rapid progress has
been made In the surveys and exami
nations of the opportunities for recla,
nation in the thirteen states and three
territories of the arid west. Construc'
ton has already been begun on the lar
gest and most important Of the irriga.
ton works, and plans are being com.
pleted for works which will utilize the
funds now available.
The forest policy Of the government
is just now a subject of vivid publ.
interest throughout the west and to thu
people of the United States in general
The forest reserves themselves are o.
extreme value to the present as vel
as to the future welfare of all tn,
western public land states. They pow
erfully affect the use and disposal Of
the public lands They are Of spe
cial Importance because they pre-
serve the water supply and the supply
Of timber for domestic purposes and 81
promote settlement under the reclama
ton act. Indeed they are essential t.
the welfare of every one Of the grea
interests of the west.
l have repeatedly called attention t.
the confusion which exists in govern
ment forest matters because the worl