The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-24
FISH GIVES INFORMATION
 ---e--- Railroad President Before Senate Committee. TALKS OF DIFFERENTIALs
 - Exhaustive Review Given by the Magaate. He Hera Conference with Prealaent Roosevelt n Jsnuary, tsoz, Re- Eardins LesisIation as to
 the Carriers.
 
TALKS OF DIFFERENTIALs

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 Washington. Feb. zs.--stuyvesant Fish. President of the Illinois Central Railroad, read q statement before the Senate Committee on Interstate Com meree which has the railroad rate bill under consideration. Several members of the committee desired Mr Fish to. discuss the subject of differentials and he consented to return to Washington at some day convenient to the commit- tee and gives his views.
 Mir. Fish gave an exhaustive review of the changes that railroad securities have undergone in various parts of the country calling attention particularly that great majority of stock is held in the United States. whereas a num- Der of years ago it was held abroad.
 Discussing the Eech-T -Townsends bill he devoted considerable time to the subject of the practical as we'll as the constitutional difflculties that would be encountered by the Interstate Com- merce Commission if it attempted to arbitrarily fix railroad rates according to the authority given 1t by the bill. Mir. Fish said that to fix equatable rates that would not discriminate in favor of one port as against another, the committee would have to take into con- alteration the railroad rates in Canada and Mexico and the water rates. from the ports of the United States to ports abroad. This cannot be done by tho Interstate Commerce. Commission or any body of men, Mir. Fish asserted. 'The Congress cannot delegate to the commission authority to fix the water rates on the ocean except within the three mile limit"
 Are you sure of that7" asked Chair man Elkins
 Perfectly sure or it',
 An Apparent Injustice.
 The chairman asked if 1t were not possible for the commission if given power to nx rates to refuse to allow foreign shipa to cfear # their cargoes contained exports thut had been billed at an lmnropey raste lNla replied eafNo bes1aao 8 part IT it had baen tuken at an improper rate could be readily seen. He said that 1t would offend every nation and that foreign ships would not come into osir ports. He commented at length on the fact that the foreign commerce was con ducted in foreign ships, and that this country was dependent upon them. Touching upon the subject of diGHeren- tials Mir Fish gave practical exalSples of the workings of rates Tn various
 
 question by Senator Deliver he declar- ed there was no truth in the charge that trafiic managers were disposed to build up great communities and ignore the smaller cities. He said the conf- plaints usually came from manufactur- ing centers and big shipping centers and that undoubtedly these centers prove magnet to the man who goes after the business.
 Vn,IN an increase In tthe lumber rate from Louisiana and Mississippi Mir Fish said that matter was now before the Interstate Commerce Commission and was fully explained and justified in q. hearing before that body but he did not know what the difference would be, He said if it was declared that the railroad company should reduce the rate the company would consider whether it could afford to take the business at a lower rate and if it could the business would be refused.
 Could Not be Forced.
 The difference between the authority under the present laws and the powers of the Commission under the bill pass ed by the House were discussed but Mir Fish insisted that railroad com -pany could not be compelled to take business al a lower rate than it could afford. You cannot get blood out of turnip," he said.
 Chairman Elkins called attention to the powers of the Government under the laws governing commerce carriers, and Mir Fish saidi
 Well, the law could compel a raii- road to carry the business for a while but if it was a loss 1t would put the roads into bankruptcy. then the bust ness would have to stop. The only al- formative would be to make up the loss by advancing the rates on other articles and so on down the line. The law does not contemplate that. The conditions would become rapidly worse
 Mir. Fish read a large part of his statement and agreed to furnish other information to the committee as soon as he could get the data.
 Just before Mir. Fish concluded his statement he told of an interesting con- ference he had in January, 1902. with President Roosevelt on the subject of railroad legislatlon. Chairman Knapp of the Interstate Commerce Commits sion was at the conference and the President was quoted as saying that the railroad men and the members of the Commission should get together and prepare some measure that would meet the recognized evils of the railroads in
 
 business.
 President Wanted Committee.
 The President suggested that a com mittee of five men should be chosen to represent the railroads and named Morton of the Atchisons Topeka and Santa Fe: Hughlitt of the Chicago and Northwestern; Cassatt of the Pennsyl- vania. Spencer of the Southern and Fish of the Illinois Central as 8 good com mittee for the railroads to name
 Mir. Fish said nothing had been done in response to the Presidents sugges- ton
 After the meeting had adjourned Mir. Fish was asked why the railroads had not proceeded according to the ideas of the President. He said that the mem- bers of the interstate commerce com mission were not disposed to entertain the idea
 Mir. Fish also said that while he ques- toned the wisdom of legialation estab- fishing fixed price for any character Of service he would gladly cooperate with members of Congress or the inter-