Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1905-12-13

stop unjust or unreasonable rates. II must include putting a complete stop to rebates in every shape and form. This power to regulate rates, like all similar powers over the business world, should be exercised with moderation, caution and self-restraint; but 1t should exist, so that it can be effect lively exercised when the need arises.
 The first consideration to be kept in mind is that the power should be affirmative and should be given to some administrative body created by the congress. If given to the present interstate commerce commission or to reorganized interstate commerce commission, such commission should be made unequivocally administrative. do not believe in the government inter fering with private business more than is necessary. I do not believe in the government undertaking any work which can with propriety be left in private hands. But neither do l be- lieve in the government finching from overseeing any work when it becomes evident that abuses are sure to obtain uulCSo bHClC 10 supervision. It is not my province to indicate the exact terms of the law which should be enacted; but l call the attention of the congress to certain existing conditions with which it is desirable to deal. In my judgment the most important provision which such law should contain is that conferring upon some competent administrative body the power to decide, upon the case being brought before it, whether a given rate prescribed by railroad is reasonable and just, and if 1t IS found to be unreasonable and unjust then, after full investigation of the complaint, to prescribe the limit of rate beyond which It shall not be law ful to go-the maximum reasonable rate, as it is commonly called-this de cision to go into effect within req sonable time and to obtain from thence onward, subject to review by the courts. It sometimes happens at pres ent. not that a rate is too high, but that a favorite shipper is given toe low a rate. In such case the eommis sion would have the right to fix this already established minimum; and ii would need only one or two such de cisions by the commission to cure rail road companies of the practice of giv ing improper minimum rates. cal attention to the fact that my proposal is not to give the commission power to initiate or originate rates generally but to regulate a rate already hXec or originated by the roads, upon com plaint and after investigation.
 Illegal transactions often occur undel the forms of law. It has often oc cured that a shipper has been told by traffic officer to buy large quan titv of some commodity and then aftel it has been bought an open reduction is made in the rate to take effect i'm mediately, the arrangement resulting to the profit of the one shipper and thu one railroad and to the damage of al their competitors; for it must not b. forgotten that the big shippers are least as much to blame as any rall road in the matter of rebates. Tn law should make it clear so that no body can fail to understand that an.
 kind of commission paid on freigh
 shipments, whether in this form or l
 the form of fictitious damages, or
 a concession, free pass, reduced pass
 enger rate, or payment of brokerage 1 is illegal. It is worth while consider ing whether it would not be wise t
 confer on the government the rlgh of civil action against the benefciar of a rebate for at least twice the valu
 of the rebate; this would help sto
 what is really blackmail. Elevate
 allowances should be stopped, for the
 have now grown to such an eXteI
 that they are demoralizing and are use
 as rebates
 All private-car lines, industrial road refrigerator charges, and the hk should be expressly put under the ST pervision of the interstate commerc
 commission or some similar body
 far as rates. and agreements pract cally affecting rates, are concerne' The private-car owners and the Ownel of industrial railroads are entitled
 a fair and reasonable compensation c their investment, but neither prlva
 ears nor industrial railroads nor spl
 tracks should be utilized as devic, for securing preferential rates. A bate in icing charges, or in mileage, I in a division of the rate for refrlge , ating charges is just as pernicious
 rebate in any other way. No low
 rate should apply on goods import' - than actually obtains on dOmest t goods from the American seaboard s destination except in cases whe V water competition is the eOntrollil S influence. There should be publicity n the accounts of common carriers; y common carrier engaged in intersta d business should keep any books
 y memoranda other than those report