The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-10-14
MORGAN ON
THE RAIL WAY ISSUE
Congress, He Says, Won't Act
on It for Two Years
STATES THE REASON WHY
contendine Forces In Congress Are
observation-disclosures Obstacles
Block Federal Regulation.
Is Principle Correct?
STATES THE REASON WHY

Senator John It. Morgan. the venerable
and. nv the people of Alabama at least,
the venerated statesman. whose life has
been devoted to the service OF MS couh-
trymen. was in Birmingham yesterday
on his way from Bailey Springs, wnere ne
has been passing the summer, TO ms
home in Selma.
Accompanying Senator Morgan were his
two daughters. The Morgans Will leave
birmingham for Selma this morning.
While here yesterday Senator Morgan
was the object, as he always Is IN BIT
mingham. of most respectful. Interested
and affectionate attentions from the
people.
In Good Health.
Though passing well out OF the green
of life.' the Senator Is, for man OF
his wears. in excellent health. His step
Is firm. his figure erect; the face is
touched with refreshing color, due. per-
hans. to his summer rest and recreation
his eyes still glow with the inteiieetuai
depth and alertness that have made MIN
one of the honorably conspicuous hgures
of the country.
Throughout the day at the Hilman' the
Senator's familiar figure was the center
of groups of admiring friends. With these
be chatted with easy familiarity on
variety of subjects In the afternoon his
attention was drawn to the railway resu-
lation problem. and he talked OF 1t most
and informingly.
Railway Regulation.
"Onr country" said Senator Morgan
.is now confronted with a problem, or, TO
he more exact. with political issue, that
will surely, on the one hand awaken
the liyeliest sectional rivalries, ana tha'
NAV. on the other hand imperil the inter-
relations of federal and state authority
that have obtained in the United states
since the nation was founded.
.T refer to the principles and policies
championed by President Roosevelt re-
specting the so-called regulation Oh rail-
wavs nv the federal government.
.erbe nroposition proposed by the Pres
ident contemplates, in the judgment oi
sober-minded men, nothing less than
radical change both in the principe oi
taxation and in the principle of the dis-
tinct and separate powers delegated by the
constitution and the statute law TO the
federal government on the one hand, ana
on the other hand. to the states.
President Is Sincere.
"There can be no doubt that the Fresi-
dent is sincere as well as deter ~
bIs effort to clothe the interstate com
merce commission with the rate-hxing
power. 1t is equally true that the pressure
of public opinion In favor of the Iresi-
dent,s policy is exceedingly Formidable
at is the duty, however, of public ser
wants on occasions of this kind, 10 at
tempt to shape as well as to reflect puolic
opjnion; and in the effort to reject pupilc
opinion the courageous political leaoe,
will see to 1t that he represents the nxeo
will rather than the temporary caprice OF
his constituency.
"Apitation of questions of this kind,
continued Senator Morgan gravely' rs
always likely to cloud the issue under
discussion and to sweep unthinking citi-
zens off their feet and out of their heaos'
Important issues become, for the time,
lost sight of, and the whole poiiticai
perspective becomes blurred.
A Government of Law.
"It should be borne In mind that ours
is a government of law. Every citizen
should, no matter what may be ms per-
sonal wishes, see to 1t that the funda-
mental principles of the organic law OF the
land are preserved In undiminisheo ana
undiminishing strength. We cannot anord,
I'm the effort to correct either real OF
imagined ills, to imperil the security OF
those provisions of the constitution that
have given impulse and direction to the
national life for more than a century, and
made of this country the greatest, the
freest and the most prosperous nation on
earth.
Little WI Be Done.
an my Judgment based as IL IS upon
a careful examination of the situation, II
Is not likely that the effort to empower
the Interstate commerce commission with
authority to fix railway rates VIII, In the
near future at least, result in any DEFINITE
conclusion. The subject is SO large, the
interests involved are SO conflicting, and
the wishes of the people of various Sec
tions of the country are so diverse that
II ig well nigh impossible to reach Inn
n eJiately a satisfactory conclusion In the
matter. I hardly think that anything
definite will be done by Congress for al
least two years.
"I base this opinion upon the develop
ments and progress made in the hearings
before the Specldi CDnBIcoSioldi
tee appointed to investigate the subject.
No sober minded man can reflect upon the
conflicting demands and contending forces
disclosed before that committee and not
feel that we have only just begun to
scratch around the margin of the difficult
ties that hedge a wise solution of this rail-
way regulation problem.
Insuperable Obstacles.
Gwen II 1t be granted that the prin-
clple of permitting or empowering the
federal authorities to fix railway rate Is
a correct one-and there are many pro-
found students of constitutional law who
doubt that the principle Is correct-but
even admitting the correctness of the
principle, the obstacles In the way of ex-
ecuting such policy are almost
insuperable.
the transportation of the great cereal
crop of the northwest. A large portion OF
these crops must be. exported to foreign
markets-to Asia, to Europe and to other
continents. Cities on the Pacific slope, on
the gulf and on the Atlantic seaboard are
rivals for this export trade. New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore. New Orleans
Galveston, and San Francisco are striv-
ing for commercial supremacy; and each
one of them, and all the people who live
in the section where the city Is situated
favor that form of legislation or that
rate-making power which will most pro-
mote it's commercial welfare.
Rival Cities.