The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-11-08
EXPERT RAILROAD TESTIMONY.

discussion of the railroad rate prob.
lem was made by A. B. Stickney,
president of the Chicago Great West
ern railroad, in an address recently
delivered before a gathering of bust
ness men at St. Paul. Mr.. Stickney
Is the only prominent railroad official
who has publicly declared that gov
eminent regulation of rates is proper
and necessary, and his testimony, as
q practical railroad man, Is of more
than ordinary import.
A large portion of Mr.. Stickney's
remarks dealt with the rebate evil,
which, he declared, has not been
stopped by restrictive legislation. He
then described the general railroad
stu ation to this effect:
The interstate commerce law, enact
ed in 1887, was designed to correct the
evils growing out of the system of
making rates by rebates. The law has
been amended, and as it now stands,
stripped of all its verbiage, 1t pro-
vides:
That the railway companies alone
shall make the rates.
That schedules of such rates shall
be printed and published.
That u long as such schedules are
in force neither more nor less than
such rates shall be collected.
That such rates shall remain in force
> and cannot lawfully be advanced until
i. ten days after, nor lowered until three
( days after, new schedules are printed
. and published; and
! That the failure of the railway com
i. pany to strictly observe such rates
shall be- q misdemeanor, punishable
3 by 4 fine of not less than 81 900 or more
d than $40, 900 for each offense.
Q 1t is true that the law provides tina,
Y the rates thus made by the railway
e companies shall be Reasonable and
y just,' but whether reasonable or un'
q reasonable, 1t is a misdemeanor for {
Q citizen ITO solicit, accept or receive
1 any rebate, concession or discrimina'
e ton whereby his property shall b,
any device be transported at less thar
t the published rate.
g Experience has proven that this gen
4 eral proposition, that all rates shall,
be reasonable and just" enforceable
t only by the courts, is Of little practi
, cal value. During the thirty years II
} which the subject of reasonable rate:
has been in controversy in this state
t | can recall but one case in which {
citizen has had the temerity to invoke
D the courts to enforce the law. The
case was carried from court to courI
e on appeals by the railway compan,
and was finally decided in the citizen.
r favor by the supreme court of tn,
: United States just five years after tn
first trial. The amount involved wa,
t exactly 43 cents.
t When We consider that the Who'll,
vast revenues OF railways are collected
in petty amounts varying from % cents
Y to practically fifty or sixty dollars
e rarely more than 800, it will be read
/ lily seen that no one individual woule
J, ever be likely to have enough at stalk
i to Justify a contest with a railwa!
company.
Railway transportation enters into
and becomes a part OF everything. L
e is paid for, not by the shippers or re-
n ceivers, but by the consumers, withou
knowing when and how much IL paid
!, When one buys food or clothing HI
pays railway transportation. Whe,
one buys q theatre ticket, employs .
9 doctor, q lawyer, or pays rent, h.
pays railway transportation. lr
short, it permea:es everything, ant
like the air We breathe, no one can re
fuse railway transportation and live,
Stating the gist of the law in a nu,
It she'll, the railway companies have al