The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-27

scheme to secure to the agents OF tilt
Government such supervision and reg
ulation Of the rates charged by thu
railroads of the country engaged IL
interstate traffic as shall summarily
and effectively prevent the imposition
Of unjust or unreasonable rates. 4
must include putting q complete STOP
to rebates in every shape and form
This power to regulate rates: like all
similar powers over the business
world, should be exercised with modi
fcation, caution and self-restraint; but
it should exist, so that it can be eff,
fectively exercised when the need
arises.
The FIRST consideration to be kept in
mind is that the power should be afhr'
native and should be given to some
| administrative body created by the
| Congress.
=. Illegal transactions often occur I'm
| der the forms of law. 1t has often oc-
Cured that a shipper has been told
by a traffic officer to buy a large
quantity Of some commodity and then
| after it has been bought an open re-
| duction is made in rate to take effect
| Immediately, the arrangement result
ing to the damage of all their com
! petitors; for it must not be forgotten
that the big shippers are at least as
much to blame as any RAILROAD in the
matter Of rebates. The law should
| make it clear 80 that nobody can fail
to understand that any kind Of COM
mission paid on freight shipments.
| whether in this form or in the form of
| fictitious damages, or of a concession
a free pass, reduced passenger rate
or payment of brokerage, is illegal.
All private-car lines, industrial
roads, refrigerator charges, and the
like should be expressly put under
the supervision of the Interstate Com
merce Commission or some similar
body so far as rates, and agreements
practically affecting rates, are con-
cerned. The p%rivate-car and
the owners of industrial railroads are
entitled to a fair and reasonable COM
%pensation' on their investment, but
neither private cars nor industrial
railroads nor spur tracks should be
utilized as devices for securing prefer
entail rates. A rebate in icing charges.
or in mileage. or in a division of the
rate for refrigerating charges is Just
as pernicious as q rebate in any other
way. No lower rate should apply on
goods imported than actually obtains
on domestic goods from the Ameri-
can seaboard to destination except IN
cities where water competition is the
controlling influence. There should
be publicity Of the accounts Of COM
mon carriers; no common carrier en-
gagged in interstate business should
keep any books or memoranda. other
than those reported pursuant to law
or regulation, and these books or
memoranda should be open to the in
spection of the Government. Only
in this way can violations or evaslons
of the law be surely detected. A Sys-
tenn Of examination of railroad ac-
counts should be provided similar to
that now conducted into the national
banks by the bank examiners; a few
frst-clsss railroad accountants, If
they had. proper direction and proper
authority to inspect books and papers,
could accomplish much in preventing
Wilful violations of the law.
After urging upon Congress the need
Of providing for expeditions action by
the Interstate Commerce Commission
in all these matter, the President sug-
gests legislation requiring the use OF
block signals. upon railroads and de-
cIares that the excessive hours OF labor
to which railroad employees in train
service are in many cases subjected
is also a matter which may well en-
gage the serious attention Of the Con-
gresS.
Taking up the question Of labor, the
President dwells upon the Government
control Of the District of Columbia
and the factories within it's jurisdic-
ton. He says: g.
Moreover, there should be proper
factory laws to prevent all abuses in
the employment of women and chill
dren in the District. These will be
useful chiefly as object lessons, but
even this limited amount of useful
ness would he of real national value.
There has been demand for depriv-
ing courts of the power to issue an
functions in labor disputes. Such
special limitation of the equity pow
ers of our courts would be most UNI
wise.
The Department of Commerce and
Labor should also make a thorough IN
vestigation Of the condition of women
in industry, he declares.
The Importance of the present insur-
ance agitation is dwelt upon. The
President said in part, regarding this
question:
In my last annual message, I recon-
mended "that the Congress carefully
consider whether the power of the
Bureau of Corporations can not con-
stitutionalIy be extended to cover IN.
terstate transactions in insurance
Recent events have emphasized the
Importance of an early and exhaustive
consideration of this question, to see
whether it is not possible to furnish
better safeguards than the several
States have been able to furnlsn
against corruption Of the fragrant kind
which has been exposed. 1t has been
only too clearly shown that certain
of the men at the head of these large
p