The Penn's Grove record., 1905-01-20
RATE BILLS INTRODUCED
Administration Plan For Regulating
Railroad Tariff.
One Bill Empowers the Interstate Com.
mission to FIX Rates-Other Creates
d Court to Review Rates Fixed.

Washington, D. C.-The so-called Ad-
ministration measures to increase the
powers of the Interstate Commerce
Commission were introduced in the
House. There were two of them, nj
from Representative Esch, of Wiscon-
sin, and the other from Representative
Townsend, of Michigan. These bills
are regarded as having the Endorsement
of President Roosevelt, because their
authors were told by the President
that their ideas about dealing with the
railway rate question accorded with
his own, and at his suggestion they
elaborated with Attorney-Genera
Moody in drafting the proposed 1egisla-
| ton.
The Esch and Townsend bills are
along the lines of most of the sugges-
| tons made by other Congressman to
give a greater degree of Federal super
vision over railway freight rates. The
Esch measure gives the Interstate
Commerce Commission the right to fix
a rate, and the Townsend bill provides
for the creation of a court of transport
tation, which shall have authority to
say whether that rate is reasonable.
In thus proposing a special court to
deal with rate adjudication the Town
send bill adopts the suggestion of Sec
rotary of the Navy Morton, and goes
contrary to the idea of Representative
Hepburn, Chairman of the Committee
on Interstate and Foreign Commerce,
and Senator Elkins, Chairman of the
Interstate Commerce Committee, that
provision should be made for an addi-
tional Judge in each Federal circuit
to handle interstate commerce cases.
1t is generally believed that the Esch
and Townsend bills were read and APP
proved ry the President before they
were introduced.
The Esch bill provides that the In
t~erstate Commerce Commission shall
declare, when complaint is made, what
shall be a just and reasonable rate,
practice or regulation for the future
with respect to any matter of trans
portation. The order shall become op-
erative thirty days after notice to the
persons affected. At any time within
sixty days any person feeling the rate
to be unjust, unreasonable or discrim-
inatory, may institute proceedings in
lhC OOuLL VI LloLSPOAl ullOh o1LtIbS 40
a court of equity, to have it reviewed.
The Townsend bill creates a Court
of Transportation with the powers of
a Circuit Court, and is to have original
exclusive jurisdiction of all cases grow
ing out of such orders, regulations and
requirements that may be made and
promulgated by the Interstate Com
merce Commission, either in law or in
equity. 1t is to be composed of a
Chief Justice, to whom a salary of
$4,000 a year is to be paid, and four
Associate Justices at a salary of $500
each. Appeal from this court is to be
had to the Supreme Court of the United
States only.
A rate bill representing the views of
the six Democratic members of the
House Commerce Committee and also
those of Representative John Sharp
Williams, the Democratic floor leader,
was introduced by Representative
Davey, of Louisiana. 1t gives the In
terstate Commerce Commission the
power to fix a rate that is to remain in
force until overruled by the United
States Court having proper jurisdic-
ton.