The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-14

AonBer toleraLe the evil whenever railroad company, no matter where 1t does business, is proven to be guilty or the pernicious habit of granting re- bates, by which one customer or pat ron is given special rates and better facilities in his business transactions man some other customer or patron ! an unjust, unlawful, and offensive dis crimlnation, by which the one enjoys expense or to the pecuniary injury of tne other-it Is my deliberate conVlc- ton that the franchise of that corpo- ration ought to be forfeited, its priv destroyed, It's tracks pulled up, and it's properties sold at public outcry. It deserves and should receive the death penalty. It is an evil that once exist 1 Cd 10 an alarming extent In certain sections or the country one of which the public complained grievously and where they had just cause to complain. It ts "a thorn in the fiesh."
 The railroads themselves admit the wrong and are really anxious to have tne nuisance ahaLed; but while con- demning in unmeasured terms this paneiui practice. 1t Is also true. and but fair to state, that many railway any form.
 Neither of the tllls under considera- ton, In my humble judgment, are ade- quate to eradicate another and peculiar type of the rebate vice, the one more hurtfui than all others to shipper, buy
 
 bills propose are merely partial. The oyershadowing evil is the special ster- minals owned l'y individuals and the private"car system. The measure we to prevent the rebates afforded by these private facilities or to stop cut rates, or to regulate pl tvate cars and RTivate.ear lines. or private terminals. when the Republican majority passed the Elkins bill, known as the ''anti- renate law" they expressly provided it should not apply to private cars or terminals. and 1t Is manifest that the have no authority to prevent these private car owners from getting re- bates. unless we enact legislation here extending the jurisdiction of the Com mission over them.
 On this subject the President speaks In resoundtng tones. In his message he uses this language:
 keep the highways of commerce open l to all on equal terms. and to do this it IS necessary to put a complete stop to the railroad is to blame makes no diff ference; the rebate must be st?pped. the abuse of the private car and pri- vate terminal track and side-track islation of the ifty-eighth Congress. which declares 1t to be unlawful for any person or corporation to offer, grant, give, solicit, accept, or receive
 
 | tion in respect of the transportation of | any property in interstate or foreign commerce whereby such property shall by any device whatever be transported I at less rate than that named in the tariffs published by the carrier. must be enforced"
 The owners of these private cars pos sess an iniquitous advantage over all competitors. The evidence taken down in the hearings before the Com mtttes dtseloses that practically all been absorbed by the Armour Car Line Company. They charge the railways a fixed mileage under exclusive contracts agreements not to use any other wonder then that they enjoy a monop- oly. not only in tho shipment of dress ed meats and packing-house products, but also in the transportation of fruits try and eggs and the output of the dairy business. These priXate-oar companies make enormous profits. their cars to meet the demands of trade and as business exigencles re- qutre, from place to placs-from the cold latitude, where apples, potatoes, ward, where the red cherries and ber- rtes ripen. in Virginia; thence to Geor- gtae. where the peach and melon are thence to the ksgrowing regions Of Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi; thence westward to California and the golden shores of the Pacific, hauling all these States, as well as large quan- titles of the best oranges Cn the round globe from Florida and California
 The evidences further show that these private-car lines have advanced their charges thrice over within the past six years, say, from SEQ per car for a given distance to SS5 per car for
 There can he no aouh+ that tbis ear trust is great and growing evil, and some Regulation should be speedily en- acted to break down the monopoly.
 The shipper has Ec alternative ex. cept to patroniEe the private-car sys- tem. He Is like. the young Irishman who enlisted in the army, He said he Was forced creed, to volunteer For iGstanee; beef trust shippers in Chicago and other great cities get a much lower rate than the ordinary shipper who has transportation of his goods.
 It Is an open secnet that men like Aockefeller and Carnegie, by means of their side tracks and private terminal low rates for the carriage of their stupendous volEme of freights as not only to undersell all competitors, but amongst the richest men in the world.
 The bills under consideration, I re- sp"ctfully, insist do not even touch up- on these gigantic evils, these twin monsters of vice, which figure so con Spicuously in the transportation prob lem. Permit me, right here, to state that the Hearst bill contained .,rovis- Ions which did seek to restrain and regulate these mischievous violati lns Of justice and right, but that measure. so far as 1t related to these proposi- tons, does not appear to have re- ceived favorable consideration by the committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. My criticism, therefore. is [nat we are now playing. Hamlet with
 The owners ot these private cars contend that they do not come within the provisions ot the interstate com Tnerce act as it now exists Any measure, I care not from what quarter the authority of the Commission over these lines. as mediums of interstate commerce, so IS to regulate their charges, Is lamentably inadequate.
 There are numerous business con eerns In all sections of the countr', tracks switching privileges and ter mlnal facilities. l have not time to enumerate them. These accommoda- tions. bv whatever narno called, enable the owners to secure special rates. which are but a subterfuse, device. ar scheme to cover up and hide from tba eyes Of the public unjust rebates. They obtain division of freight on all cars deHyered to connecting roads by mea9a or their private terminals. and receive c0LshIpSehsaIon S,oLIIpS !s Tor services render'd which IS unfair and excessive. These abuses can not be reotifed until these terminal companies are placed ma - the control of the Interstate commerco Commission. In their last report inc
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