The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-12-06
MISUNDERSTANDING ROOSEVELT.

MISRRPRESENTING ROOSEVELT.
Mr.. Louis W. Hill, an officer OF the
Great Northern railway, was In Hell
ena last week and made this statement
in regard to the proposed regulation
of railroad rates by the interstate COM
merce commission:
81 don't quite understand how q few
men could accomplish the infinite
amount of work involved in rate max.
ing for railroads of the country. l
am not saying a word about the mer-
its of the proposed regulations. l
only question the ability Of q few men
to reorganize the whole railway rate
system without mad ~vertently injuring
one section OF the country, even while
trying to help another"
1t seems that one of the objects of
the railway corporations is to mis-
state the case. President Roosevelt
has not suggested that a few men be
given the power to make rates for the
railroads of the country. He has not
suggested that congress give the inter-
state commerce commission the power
to make rate schedules for all the rail.
roads Of the country.
However, Mr.. Hill knows that the
railway rates of this country are made
by a few men. How many men have
been making the rates on beef trust
products? Two or three. How many
have been making the rates on Stan.
dard Oil products? Two or three.
How many men are now making the
rates or the goods Of the International
Harvester trust? One or two. How
many men put the rate for government
freight from Chicago to Seattle at 20
cents in the winter of 1908? One man
MIR. James j. Hill.
1t does not need ever "a few men"
to make just railroads rates for the
whole country. One man a do it.
In less than ninety days A. B. Stick
uey can do it.. 1t 10 the object of the
railroad men to have the public be.
lieve that it requires great wisdom and
long years of special training to make
railroad rates. How much wisdom is
involved in making the rate from Chi
cago to Helena equal to the rate from
Chicago to Seattle and back to Hell
ena?
Taking passenger rates as an q
pie, how much careful training does it
require to make q 1913 rate from Chi.
cago to Los Angeles and o $50 rate
from Helena to Los Angeles? How
much superior wisdom does it require
to make the rate from New York to
San Francisco and back to New York
S7.2S per 200 miles, and the rate from
Helena to San Francisco and return
$2l per 1000 miles: Does that sort of
rate making require a mathematical
education:
For q number of years after the in.
ters.ate commerce commission was
created the railroad men of the coun-
try believed as did other men, that
congress had given the commission
the power that President Roosevelt
now asks congress to give to the COM
mission. There was no complain
from the railroads. None OF them
suggested ''commercial lynch law"
as President Spencer calls the presi.
dents suggestion.
However much Mr.. Louis Hill may
question the ability Of a few men to
reorganize the railway rate system,
the reorganization ia needed. The
railway rate system of this country is
commercial piracy. Right here in
Montana ore shipped by the American
Smelling & Refining company at East
Helena is charged not more than one
third of the rate charged other ship
pers of ore to the East Helena smelter.
The half Of the railway piracy has
not been told, just as the half of the
insurance piracy had not been told
u year ago, and possibly has not
yet been told. Some of the prominent
directors of the "Big Three insur-
ance companies are railroad men
whose most conspicuous intellectual
faculty is lack of conscience.-The