Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-14
LACEY ON RATE BILL
SIXTH DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN
MADE STRONG PLEA FOR
MEASURE.
Took Part In Debate Favoring the
Passage Of the Esch-Townsend Bill
In Spite Of Few Flaws He Found
In Some Of Its Sections.
[BY HAROLD ]. MAHIN.1
WASHINGTON Bureau of the Courie

d.
Washington Bureau Of the Courier.
Washington, D. c., Feb. 10.
Before the railroad rate bill went to
strong plea for it but at the same time
called attention to one or two minor
flaws in the measure. He said, how
ever, that he would vote for it because
1t was in the main a good measure and
ably took care of the vital question Of
giving the government power over rate
making.
He said: For ten years under the
interstate commerce law 1t was gener-
ally believed by the railroad compan-
les and by the people that the right to
fix q rate by that commission after the
railroad rates had been held to be un>
just or discriminatory existed.
"The law worked better then than
1T did afterwards, he said. because it
did not confiscate anybodys property.
1t created no very serious disturbance
in the affairs of carriers and shippers.
The proposition now Is to give or re-
store to that commission the power
that 1t was held was not embodied in
the old interstate commerce law. That
is practically all there is In this bill.
"The committee having. this matter
in charge has been earnestly working
from the first day Of the present ses-
sion Of congress trying to get a bill
in form upon which they could agree
and which could receive a favorable
action of this house. intend to vote
for the measure as proposed by them
and in the form in which it received
no ;rIO nyHt ~ q
party. Every man upon this floor no
doubt has his ideas as to some particu-
lar point in which the bill might be
modified and. at the same time. i'm
proved. Our legislative experience has
taught us that all legislation must be
the result of more or less mutual con-
cession. In this bill it is provided that
the schedules can be changed by the
commission pending an appeal upon
review" but not afterwards That
| involves difficulty of administration.
While propose to vote for this bill,
think that any defects in 1t ought to
be pointed out.
There should be some provision In
the bill by which the commission could
change or permit a change in the rate
after adjudication. Let me illustrate.
Last year 162,42S changes we're made
in freight and passenger schedules
and the changes filed by the carriers
with the commission One hundred
and forty-three thousand nine hundred
and eighty-two of these changes were
in freight schedules and 1S,446 In pas
tsenger schedules, an average Of over
500 changes day. Now, these changes
{ might well go on in future and most
of them be Just and proper Under
i this bill you can make the change
until 1t shall have reached the judicial
stage of decision of the court. After
that the rate becomes immutable. 1t
is fixed. 1t is Hike the laws of the
Modes and Persians unalterable
There should be some modification by
which these schedules might still be
4 much more easily changed when found
unjust and unreasonable, even after
judicial determination or judicial deci
sion.
LET me illustrate further. We had
a great fire in Baltimore. They
changed the freight schedules upon
, food supplies and upon the materials
to build the new town. There was 8
great flood in the south. covering parts
of Louisiana and Mississippi. The
freight schedules were changed II
order to encourage the shipment o.
supplies into the stricken communities
: The same thing occurred in Chicago
after the fire. Now, those, OF course
are extreme cases. but there are
other common cases. We have grea
crop one year and rates are baset
: upon an enormous shipment. On
, year we ship the corn from
j Iowa east, and it goes to Europe. Th'
r next year, perhaps, We ship 1t to Kan
!. sas or Nebraska or farther west, where
, the crons may have failed. The sup
8 plies go one year in one direction, ant
e in another the next. These VARYING
n conditions necessarily require tina
there should be some elasticity in tn
arrangement of rates. The fact tina
$ the companies now, under existin
g conditions, make an average of so
f rate changes day shows that Their
) should be some elasticity.
i ~ think this bill could be strength
d ened and not weakened by giving eve
II more power to the commission tina
is given to it by allowing it to modif
n the rates even after they have bee
h established by a judicial decision.
1.-THE main purpose of this bill is
e prevent unfeirness and discriminate
s. in the treatment of individuals an
IS localities. shall vote for the bill. an
believe that it in almost every respet
e meets the demands of the, people an
IS the suggestion made by the Presider
in his message.
I The complaint is very simple or
o. in the main Usually 1t comes frol
communities. For instance, the stat
g ment made by the gentleman fro
Illinois the other day that the rate
% from Boston to Montgomery, Ala
,r were 80 cents ton lower than the
Is were from Chicago to the same plac
at although the distance was 100 mile
farther, is a sample case.
re ''Now, this is discriminate
or against a locality. A discriminate
Is sometimes comes UP against an inc
n vidual, and most of these matters a
b11y o5i,,ctod When casa