Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-12-08

| which declares IL TO be unlawful fol
any person or corporation to offer
grant, give, solicit. accept, or receive
any rebate, concession, or dlscrimina
ton in respect of the transportation
of any property in interstate or for
| eign commerce whereby such proper
ty shall by any device whatever be
| transported at u less rate than that
| named in the tariffs published by the
carrier must be enforced. For some
| lime after the enactment of the act
To regulate commerce II remained u
| mooted question whether that act
conferred upon the interstate com
merce commission the power, after 1t
had found n challenged rate 10 be un-
reasonable, to declare what thereaf-
ter should. prima facie. be the rea.
sonable maximum rate for the trans.
portation in dispute. The supreme
court finally resolved that question
in the negative. SO that as the law
now stands the commission simply
possess the bare power TO denounce
n particular rate AS unreasonable.
While | am of the opinion at present
It would be undesirable, If 1t were not
impracticable. finally to clothe the
commission with general authority to
fix railroad rates. | do believe that.
as fair security to shippers, the
commission should be vested with
he power, where a given rate has
been challenged and after full hear.
Ing found to be unreasonable, to de-
eide, subject to judicial review. what
shall be reasonable to take It's place:
the ruling of the commission 10 take
less and until it is reversed by the
court of review. The government
must in increasing degree supervise
ald rgulate the workings of the rail
ways engaged in interstate COM
nerce. and such increased supervi-
sion is the only alternative to an in.
crease Of the present evils on the one
hand OF still more radical policy
on the other. In my judgment the
most important legislative act now
needed as regards the regulation OF
corporations is this act to confer on
the Interstate commission the power
10 revise rates and regulations, the
revised rate to at once go into effect.
aud to stay in effect unless and until
the court of reviews reverses IT,
Steamship companies engaged in
interstate commerce and protected in
our coastwise trade. should be held to
n strict observance OF the interstate
commerce act
Agriculture.
The department Of agriculture has
grown into an educational institution
making research into all the sciences
of production. The congress appro-
pirates. directly and Indirectly, six
millions of dollars annually to carry
on this work. II reaches every state
and territory in the Union and the
islands Of the sea lately come under
our flag. Cooperation is had with
The state experiment stations. and
with many other institutions and In
dlviduals. The world il carefully
searched for new varieties OF grains.
fruits. grasses. vegetables, trees and
shrubs, suitable to various localities
In our country: and marked benefit
10 our producters have resulted.
The activities of our age in lines OF
research have reached the tillers OF
the soil and Inspired them with am
bition to know more of the principles
that govern the forces of nature with
which they have to deal. Nearly half
the people of this country devote their
energies to growing things from the
soil. Until a recent date little has
been done to prepare these millions
Tor their life work. In most lines OF
human activity collegetrained men
opportunity for special training un-
III Congress made provision for II
forty-years ago. During these years
nrogress has been made and teachers
have been prepared. Over five thous-
and students are in attendance at our
State agricultural colleges, The Fed
eral Government expends ten mil
lions of dollars annually toward this
education and for research in Wash
ington and in the several States and
Territories. The Department OF Ag-
riculture has given facilities for post
graduate work to five hundred young
men during the last seven years. pre-
pairing them for advanced lines OF
york in the Department and In the
State institutions.
The facts concerning meteorology
and its relations to plant and animal
life are being systematically inquired
into Temperature and moisture are
controlling factors in all agricultural
operations. The seasons of the cy-
clones OF the Caribbean Sea and their
paths are being forecasted with in
creasing accuracy. The cold winds
that come from the north are antici-
pated and their times and intensity
told to farmers, gardeners. and fruit
erers in all southern localities. %.
We sell two hundred and fifty mil
lion dollars worth of animals and an.
imal products to foreign countries.
every year, in addition to supplying
our own people more cheaply and
abundantly than any other nation il
able to provide for its people. Sue
cessful manufacturing depend pri-
marily on cheap food, which accounts