Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-09-21
PUBLIC Is OVERLOOKED
Not Considered In Discussing
Railroad Rates.
ARGUMENTS ALL FOR SHIPPERS,
The Consumer IL Left to Bear the
Burden, While All Sorts Of Devices
Are Proposed to Preserve to the
Corporations Their Right to Charge
All the Traffic Will Bear.

In discussing the railroad rate ques-
Zion the rights Of the general public
the consumers who III the last instance
pay all the f~reight-seem to be pretty
well overlooked. All the arguments
are for the shipper or for the railroads,
and the consumer is left to bear the
burden, while all sorts Of devices are
proposed to aid the shipper and pre-
serve to the corporations their right to
charge all the traffic will bear. The
latest proposition is that claims for
overcharges shall be kept in escrow
until the courts decide If the rate es-
tablished by the commission in place
Of the rate declared to be unreasona-
BILE shall stand.
This will involve litigation between
the railroads and the shippers, while
the consumer will still be paying the
unreasonable rate which is added to
the price of the goods he buys. If
the court eventually decides that the
original rate was unreasonable and
the lower rate proposed by the COM
mission shall stand the shipper viii
have returned to him the difference
between the old rate and the new one.
Will the shipper hunt up his customers
when the matter has been decided by
the courts-maybe many years hence
and return the extra profits he charg-
ed to cover the old unreasonable rate?
he could not do so if he would, as
some customers would be dead, others
gone to live elsewhere. In fact. the
whole community would continue to
pay the unreasonable rate as long as
cur with every rate that was declared
by the commission to be unreasonable
and would continue for years until q
general adjustment of rates had been
perfected, if such an era ever comes.
So consumers should protest that In
this attempt to compel the railroads to
charge reasonable rates there should
be no procrastination. If a rate is de.
clared unreasonable by the interstate
commerce commission after hearing
both sides and q reasonable rate is pro
posed to take it's place, the new rate
must stand until the railroads AN con.
clusively show it is unjust and toe Tow
to allow 4 reasonable return for the
money actually invested and the court
Of last resort declares so.
AS nine out of every ten voters are
consumers and not shippers, it be
hooves them to communicate with theil
senators 90 and congressman either ir
person or by letter and ask them tt
bear in mind the consumers interest
as we'll as the interests of the shippers
and of the corporations. AS nearly ev
cry congressman and one-third Of the
senate are candidates for reelection
next year, the demand of the consunl
ers will be needed if they show they
are not in a mood to be trifled with.
The Republican congressman, as il
we'll known, have received so many ia
vors from the railroads they are very
loath to deprive those corporations 81
the unreasonable profits they have si
) long enjoyed, but rather than be beat
en- for election they will give the com
mission power to declare what is 4 rea
{ sonable rate and even 4 majority ot
: the senate can be forced to the side q
{ the people rather than the Legislature
Of their state should select some otne!
who would be more amenable to publi'
opinion.