The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-19

bers of the house committee on inter-
state commerce, going to show, he said,
tnat the substitution of a system of i'll
elastic rates for the rates determined
by competition wOuld result in great
injury to industry in many sections of
the country. He said that the commits
sion or any political body that might
be created would Yield to the most
eiamOrous demand, and that, as a re-
suit, the rates between different local
tiles would be more inequitable than
the rates now fixed by ~cOmpetititlon
between these localities. In maintain
ing that competitive conditions are
still potent in regulating rates, he said:
Tine attempt is made to make it
appear that the railroad rates are
so high that the shippers and the
general public can no longer stand the
eXtOrtion, but must have relief from
Congress. Now, the simple i%ncontro-
vertible fact is that the railroad rates
in this country are far cheaper than
anywhere else in the world. These
rates in general are one-third lower
than those Of Great Britain and
France, and one-half lower than those
of Germany, where the railroads are
I " Z Glo ~ II
ment. An examination of rates in the
past also shows there has been an al
| most continuous tendency downward.
In 1870 the rates were three times
what they are now.
LAS under the continued working Of
free competitive conditions rates may
be expected gradually TO decline, it re-
mains for the advocates of the inelas-
l : - - rI-, .n-
| change from competitive conditions is
desirable. and whether socialisticrate-
making would. insure lower rates in
the future. The complaints coming
from shippers against the railroads are
almost wholly complaints Of discrini-
nation in favor of other shippers.
What the shippers want in this cOun-
try is impartial treatment rather than
arbitrary reduction of rates. The prin-
ciple Of impartial treatment of the pub
lie must be enforced. 1t might be wise
when it is found that a secret lower
rate or rebate has been granted to any
shipper that such rate be made the
open rate for, say, one year, as though
the rate We're part of the published
classification.
Unjust determinations between To-
calities and kinds of traffic ought to
be susceptible to correction through the
application of the police powers of the
government, the same as unjust dis
ordinations between individuals.
There is no valid reason for asserting
that one kind of discrimination can be
corrected by punitive legislation, and
that another kind can only be reached
by the sOcialistic method of fixing
IateS."
rhe report of Secretary Marshall
Cushing reviewed at length the work
of the association under various de-
scriptive heads The reference was
made to the defeat of "Bad legisla-
ton in Congress. particularly Of the
an~ti-iniunction and eight hour bills.
The raatter of foreign collections was
reporJed as having shown remarkable
results. less than 8 per cent. of the
claims having been returned as Gun
cOllectihle."
ADDRESS OF MR.. NISSIN.
Ludwig Nissin. of New York. then
addressed the association. His ad
dress was largely devoted to a discus
sion of the un-AmericaniSm of gov
eminent ownership of public utilities.
he SAID in part:
/. The gross injustice Of the public
service corporations is unuueStiOnably
the cause for the now genera: demand
Of the minimizing public for a system
[ of municipal or state ownership of all
public utilities.
"if these principles should ever be
put into general practice in this cOun-
try. the result would be the destruc-
Iion of our liberty and our progress.
We would go from wealth to poverty
from progress to ~ethargy and from
!, liberty. to slavery. because we should
5 live in a state of socialism which aims
3, Mt equality with the lowest instead vi
teaching to aspire to the highest.
=. LAS q remedy for these conditions
I would offer the following hints fol
your careful consideration. First-All
public service corporations should be
under strict surveillance of the au-
thority that creates them.
. "Second-Whatever a charter ol
franchise is granted to a public servict
corporation it hould be granted only
: on condition that service rendered by
l such corporation shall be adequate tc
, the public needs. Such charter d
= franchises should not be allowed to be
E given awav. sold. leased or merged
with that of any other corporation ex.
. cept under terms carefully specified
l bv law"
MIR. D. A. TOMPKIN'S ADDRESS.
D. A. Tompkins. of Charlotte. N. {.
1 followed. His subject was Cotton
| Its Marketing and Eaualizing Supply
and Price"
After reviewing the conditions which
+ produce short or large crops of cotton
Mr.. Tompkins declared that in tn
three decades following the civil wa
the southern farmer produced a con
stantly increasing amount of cotton
. for which by a regularly decreasini
. price he received annually practicall,
the same gross return. The advent o
the Southern cotton factory about tn
o close of this period increased the de
mand so that in the fourth decade
while the production remained approx
mately the same, the price doubled til
return to the farmer.
The factory proved b farmers
Moses. What he needs now is a Je
seph, and this must be the development
of commerce., which shall average t
,,o3,o+ion of a series of wears an