Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-11-02
A SQUARE DEAL
'es'aens otlckney of the c. G. w. Ry. Addresses
Inc Roosevelt Club at St. Paul on the
Railroad Rate Question

|
| uop to offer, grant, give, solicit, accept
| or receive any rebate, concession or dis
examination in respect to the transporta-
| ton of any property in interstate or for
| eign commerce whereby such property
shall by any device be transported at a
| less rate than that named in the tariff
| forced"
have not the honor or pleasure of a
personal acquaintance with Mr.. Roose-
Welt. but it is well known that he has
| never been man of affairs, and that his
tastes have led him to study history and
literature, rather than practical econom-
les. and, besides, it goes without saying
| that no man can know the details of all
me vast economic affairs of the world.
| But although he may be inexperienced in
trade, he seems to possess, in an unusual
! degree. the great fundamental principle
"nlch makes trade successful in the long
run. the principle of the square deal.
l., can imagine that at the time he wrote
his message he knew very little about
the rebate system, but had absorbed from
| reading, and from contact with the peo-
pie, a pretty clear idea of the vicious
a square deal LED him to pen the portion
| of his message which I have quoted.
| can imagine, further, that after he
had written it his innate honesty Of pur-
! pose told him it YVES not fair deal to
| let the railways make their own rates
and compel the people to pay them. right
| or wrong. Hence, he added the follow
ing:
While I am of the opinion that at
| present 1t will be undesirable, if it were
not 'mpractcable finally to clothe the
railroad rates, do not believe that, as a
fair security to shippers, the commission
should should be vested with the power, where a
/ after full hearing found to be unreasona-
BILE, to decide, subject to judicial review,
what shall be reasonable rate to take
| its place; the ruling of the commission to
| take effect Immediately, and to obtain
| unless and until it is reversed by the
| court of review.
Steamship companies engaged in in
| terstate commerce and protected in our
| coastwise trade should be held to a strict
observance of the interstate commerce
| act"
Offers Arbitration.
| If this recommendation of the pres-
dent. in connection with the present pro-
visions of the law, be analysed, it
That the railway companies may make
the rates. but whenever a controversy
! shall arise as to their reasonableness and
business, this dispute shall be submitted
for arbitration to disinterested perma-
nent arbitration commission appointed by
law, subject to judicial review.
| ciple of arbitration and the principle of
| arbitration is square deal. If the de-
| tails are worked out on intelligent lines
it would result in as nearly practical
| justice as is possible in human affairs.
In working. out the details of such a
| scheme, the language of the law, which
says: "All rates shall be reasonable and
just and that every unjust and unrea-
sonable rate is prohibited and declared to
be unlawful" should be construed to
| mean just what is says.
The language is now construed to mean
that if any rate is found to be too high
to be reasonable and just, it must be re-
duced by the law. But if, on the other
hand one railway company, by reason of
corrupt favoritism toward particular
| industry, or to accomplish the purpose of
the unlawful rebate by. issuing a mid
night tariff or otherwise makes rate
too low TO be reasonable and just to the
railway companies which rate all other
companies, from the nature of the bust
ness, are compelled to accept. such rate
cannot be increased by law.
| Such an unnatural construction of the
plain language of the statute is not a
square deal The law, to be just, should
be just to the railways as well as to the
| people, AS Mr.. Roosevelt often says:
"A square deal is square deal. exact
ly as much a square deal for the rich
| Let each stand on his merits, receiving
| what is due to him. and be judged by his
deserts. To more he is not entitled, and
| less he shall not have
If. therefore, the law is to be amended
on the basis of square deal, the arbi-
| traton commission must be given au-
| thority to decide as to the reasonableness
| of rates between the railways and the
railway, as well as between the railways
and the people; must have authority to
raise rates which are unreasonably low
as we'll as to lower rates that are too
| high. In no other way can symmetrical
and just rates be obtained which shall
| give to every locality and every industry
| its dues.
In no other way can discrimination be
| prevented, as many of the worst cases of
| such discrimination are produced Wv one
| railway making rates in the manner
| which has been stated for no other pur-
| pose than to give an advantage by dis
| elimination, which rates, in the nature
/ of the business all other companies are
| compelled to adopt. This practice must
be stopped or tho whole scheme Of the
/ law to nrevent DETERMINATIONS viii fail
Judge and ExecutfOner.
Experience has proven that no commits
| sion can be dsinterested board of ar
bitrators while at the same time 1t is en-
| gagged in the prosecution of the case at
| bar Hence if the recommendation OF
! the president is adopted, the arbitration
! commission, which should be appointed
I, for the purpose of arbtrating disputes
in respect to rates, should not be charged
! with the executive duty of enforcing the
| provisions of the law, or of their own
| decisions
The men appointed members of the
commission should be men of the highest
capacity and of the strictest Integrity,
appointed for these merits and not for
the purpose of regarding political serv-
| ices. The position of arbitration commits
I soner should be made of as much dig
nifty and their tenure of office be as Sc
! cure as justices of the supreme court
| of the United States.
! Like justices of the supreme court, their
| office should not be subordinate to or
1 subject to iictation of any other branch
of the government and they should hold
! their offices during life and good behavior,
removable from office only by impeach-
| Inent and conviction.
| NV own judgment is that for reasons
stated at considerable length in an adj
/ dress at a meeting of the Washington
Economic society last February, it would
be wiser to clothe a legislative committee
| with general authority to make the
| schedule rates, but the recommendation
i of the president, with a properly consti-
| tuted arbitration commission, would work
4 out in the course of years. practically
the same results, and perhaps a gradual
working out of the problem would be
| wiser.
Mr.. Chairman, never before has the
4 American people had Roosevelt for a
president. Never before has a president.
4 in season ami out of season, in official
documents and from the stump, so cou.-
/ ageously stood for the square deal. Ex-
| actly as much a square deal for the rich
/ man as for the poor man, but No more.
| For these qualities the American people
! honor and love Theodore Roosevelt.
4 Would that he, or such as he. could be
president always.
/ who has realized that the sphere Of hi.