The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-04-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, D. c., April 18th.

WASHINGTON. D. c.. April 18th.
Mr.. EDIToR:-One of the sever est
tests to which the present administration
has been, or will be put, will be present
ed when the President returns and re
ceives the protests of the trans continent
| tai railway companies which are up In
arms over the destruction of the monopo
| ly they have long enjoyed as result of
the monopoly of the Panama Railway
| Company Soon after that railway was
completed its directors entered into an
agreement whereby they bound them
selves to transact business only with GER
tain steamship lines, notably the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company on the west
coast and the Panama Steamship Com
pany on the east coast, which line it con-
trolled. In this way transportation by
way of the isthmus was insured from
competition and a monopoly created
which enabled the trans continental rail
roads within the United States to main
tain the high rates they have always
charged, this conspiracy in restraint OF
interstate commerce" having been per-
fected by the late Coils P. Huntington.
As the Panama railroad was without the
United States this government was pow
erless to prosecute it for maintaining
trust in violation of the Sherman law.
Now that the Panama railroad has pass
ed to the ownership of the United States
it is proposed to charge for transporta-
ton of freight and passengers only the
cost of transportation plus fair rate Of
profit which shall be converted into
sinking fund. But the more important
feature of the governments ownership
promises to be the acceptance of freight
and passengers from all steamship and
sailing lines which now exist or which
may be established, regardless OF what
prices they may charge for water trans
portation. This means, of course, that
the rates between American ports and the
isthmus will be regulated by free and
fair competition and they will inevitably
be materially lowered from the prices
1t is estimated by the railroad lobbyists,
who have already come to Washington
with the hope of protecting their clients,
that the free competition Of steamship
companies and the Panama railway will
result in the lowering of freight rates be-
tw cen New York and San Francisco, via
Panama, from 50 ton, the rate now
charged, to 81 a ten. Passenger rates, it
is claimed, will be lowered from $115 to
sos, meals included. OF course the rail-
roads will still command the situation
wnere time is factor, but with freight
which demands no haste and with pas
sengers who are willing to take their
time the Panama route will prove the
favorite unless the railroads lower their
rates to accord with the new water rate.
The capacity of the Panama railway will
also be limited but it has been decided to
double the track which will somewhat off
set that factor.
The railway lobbyists maintain that it
will plunge their clients into bankruptcy
to meet these rates. They do not say,
however, that this would be the case only
because of the extent to which the rail-
way stock has been watered. Neverthe-
less, there will be strong pressure brought
to bear on the President to take some
step which will save the pampered rail-
ways from the effects of fair competition
nd &c
moral siren g tn on the part of the Presi-
dent to resist. II the President proves
invulnerable then the lobbyists will turn
their attention to Congress and it is en-
tirely possible that in that quarter they
may prove unsuccessful. If, however,
the President and the Congress prove
true to the interests of the people the
railways will doubtless be compelled ma
terially to lower their transcontinental
transportation rates.
The people of the United States are not
the only ones who have suffered from the
monopoly of the trans-isthmian line, as is
shown by the protest of seven South
American ministers who have filed pro-
test with the State Department against
the renewal of contracts with South
American steamship lines which they
claim have been robbing the people of
their respective countries.
Apropes of the railway question, con.
siderable interest attaches to tho hearings
which are to be given on the subject of
railway legislation by the Senate Com
mittee on Interstate Commerce, of which
Senator Elkins of West Virginia is chair
man. TIE members ofthis committe are
Senators Elkins, Cullom, Aldrich, Kean,
Dolliver, Foraker, Clapp, Willard, Till
man, McLaurin, Carmack, Foster of Lou