Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-06-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Rrom Our Regular CorrespondenGl
Washington ID. C. June II, 1905

Ms SV6beu IN my last IcttSts OuO
OF the reasons for delay in thes.:Senate
Interstate Commerce Committee not
coming to some determination on the
railroad rate making problem, has
been a considerable change in South
ern sentiment, especially among in
fiuential leaders Of opinion. AS be-
fore stated, the Soush started in
squarely behind Presidents Roose-
velt's movement for qualified Cow
ernment rate-regulaton. Mr.. Bry-
an early came out in advocacy Of Mr..
Roosevelt's efforts, aud the Town
send bill, after advocating some
thing still more radical. In accord
ingly looked as IL the Presidents
campaign on rate regulation would
be aided by the minority party in
Congress, which would make Ii ne
cessary that all the opposition
should come from his own ranks.
But the railroad arguments have
made so deep an impression upon so
many Southern public men that they
privately acknowledge that, while
they may vote for asteptoward rate re-
gulation, because of political neces-
sites, they hope that the situation
may be so controlled by internal
strategy that they will not have to
do this, and any aid that can be
given TO such strategy in the Sem
ate several Southern Democrats
stand ready to furnish. This feeling
need not show itself in the House,
because on this question she Senate
drafts the bill. The argument that
seems to be catching the Southern
leaders is the danger to their sec
ton from any approximation of rates
to a mileage basis, and particularly
in the movement OF cotton. They
realize that few years may see a
bitter struggle in the export cotton
trade, due TO competition with the
new sources of supply that the Brit
ish colonies are developing, over
which British opinion is now so
optimistic. America is more de-
pendent upon the export of cotton
than Of any other crop. and if any
thing should break its supremacy
abroad, the Southland would be sew
erely injured. One great ad vantage
which the South has over the pos
sible cotton areas of East Africa and
India is in cheap transportation from
the interior to the coast. The Ameri-
can railroads, controlling their own
rates, in such a struggle for supre-
macy wonld haul cotton from the up
lands at rates which would keep the
cotton growing area intact, in the
face Of serious competition. Added
to this argument, there is hardly q
prominent Southern city that has
not been partly convinced that it
owes its its importance in some in
dustry to q cheap long haul, and
these instances have been emphasiz-
ed by the railroad agents in such a
way as to make sentiment.
Moreover, railroad interests are SO
strong in the South that few aspi-
rants for political advancement
would dare to disregard them.
These considerations in part, &C
count for the absence of all but three
Democratic members from the CON-
mittee hearings and the known de-
sire of several of these minority
men, if it can be done quietly, to
break with the railroad rate regula-
ton wing of the party.
| speak advisedly when l say
that the dominant Republican lead
ers OF the Senate Committee which
has just concluded its hearing feel
that their greatest accomplishment
since the Presidents crusade be-
gan has been the sowing of the
seeds of this distrust toward rate
regulation in the minds of Southern
men.
If the Democratic party meant
what IL said in its platform last sum.
mer which declared for greater DOW
er to the Interstate Commerce Com
mission to the end that shippers
may have prompt and adequate re-
llei from the abuses to which they
are subjected in the matter of trans
portation, then they ought to have
heard some of the testimony of these
same shippers before the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce.
not long ago, when it was trying to
get something to hinge bill on that
will put the refrigerator car line
people nader the jurisdiction of the
Interstate Commerce Commission
Ii 1t is the shippers and not the COM
mission merchants that the sayiors
OF the people want to protect, and
there is no reason to doubt il. then
our people ought to get at the truth
before they commerce to legislate.
Wherever they do they will discover
that they are playing right into the
hands of the Commission Merchant
trust and against the right interests
OF the farmer the grower of fruit
and vegetables, when they en-.
deavor to place the refrigerator
car line people in the hards of