Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-05

able time goes into full effect, subject
TO review by the courts.
Private Car Lines.
All private car lines industrial roads.
refrigerator charges and the like
should be expressly put under the su-
pervision of the interstate commerce
| commission or some similar body so
far as rates and agreements practical
ly affecting rates are concerned. The
private car owners and the owners OF
industrial railroads are entitled to a
fair and reasonable compensation on
| their investment. but neither private
ears nor industrial railroads nor spur
tracks should be utilized as devices for
securing preferential rates. \ rebate
! in icing charges or in mileage or i'll Il
! division of the rate for refrigerating
charges is just as pernicious as a re
bate in any other way. No lower rate
should apply on goods imported than
| actually obtains on domestic goods
from the American seaboard to desti-
| nation except in cases where water
| competition is the controlling influence.
| There should be publicity of the &C
| counts of common carriers. No com
| mon carrier engaged in Interstate bust
ness should keep any books or memo
randa other than those reported pur-
Suant 10 law or regulation, and these
books or memoranda should be open II
| the inspection of the government. Only
| in this way can violations or evasionS
| Of the law he 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
| first class railroad accountants. if they
| had proper direction and proper au-
| thority To inspect books and papers,
| could accomplish much in preventing
willful violations of the law. 1t would
not be necessary for them TO examine
| into the accounts of any railroad unless
| for good reasons they were directed to
| do so by the interstate commerce com
| mission. 1t is greatly 10 be desired
| that some way might be found by
| which an agreement as to tranSporta-
| ton within state intended to operate
! as a fraud upon the federal Interstate
! commerce laws could be brought under
| the jurisdiction of the federal authOri-
! ties At present it occurs that large
| shipments of interstate traffic are con-
! trolled by concessions on purely state
| business. which of course amounts TO
| an evasion of the law. The commits
| sion should have power To enforce fair
! treatment by the great trunk lines of
! lateral and branch lines.
| urge upon the congress the need of
! providing for expeditions action by the
/ interstate commerce commission i'll all
| these matters. whether in regulating
rates for transportation or for storing
or for handling property or commodi-
| ties in transit. The history of the cases
| litiSated under the present commerce
act shows that it's efficacy has been
to great degree destroyed by the
weapon of delay. almost the most
formidable weapon i'll the hands of
those whose purpose ii is to violate the
law
No Hostility to Railroads.
Let me most earnestly say that these
recommendations are not made in any
spirit of hostility to the railroads. On
ethical grounds, on grounds of right,
such hostility would be intolerabie and
on grounds of mere national self inter
est we must remember that such hos
tility would tell against the welfare
of a multitude of small investors.
multitude of railway employees. wage
workers. and most severely against the
interest of the public as a whole. l be-
Iieve that on the whole our railroads
have done well and not i'll, but the
railroad men who wish to do well
should not be exposed to competition
with those who have no such desire,
and the only way TO secure this end is
TO give to some government tribunal
the power 10 see that justice is done
by the unwilling exactly as it is gladly
done by the willing. Moreover, if some
government body is given increased /
power the effect will be to furnish au-
thoTitative answer on behalf of the |
railroad whenever irrational cIamor
against il is raised or whenever |
charges made against il are disproyed. |
/ ask this legislation not only in the |
interest of the public, but in the inter |
est of the honest railroad man and the |
honest shipper alike, for il is they who ,
are chiefly jeoparded by the practices |
of their dishonest competitors. This |
legislation should be enacted in a spir- |
il SIS remote as possible from hysteria |
ana rancOr. If we of the American |
body polite are true TO the traditions |
we have inherited we shall always I
scorn any effort TO make US hate any 4
man because he is rich. just as much 4
as should scorn any effort TO make 1
us look down upon or treat contemptu- 1
Ously any man because he is poor We /
judge a man by his conduct-that is. /
by his character-and not by his 4
wealth or intellect. If he makes his I
fortune honestly, there is no just cause 1
Of quarrel with him. Indeed. we have /
nothing bun the kindliest feelings of /
admiration for the successful business !
man who behaves decently. whether 4
he has made his success by building or 4
managing a railroad or by shipping l
goods over that railroad The big rail !