Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-09
Senator Scott Urges Conserv-
atiye Treatment ofRailways.
NO DISCRIMIN ALTON
BELIEVES THAT CONGRESS
SHOULD ACT DELIBERATELY.
Regards Legislation for Fixing Freight
Rates as Bordering on the
Line of Danger.

Senator Scott is one of the men who be
lieves that Congress should act deliberately
and avoid radical methods in dealing with
the great system of American railways in
relation to restrictions on their earning
capacity. Any action which looks to Con-
| gress fixing freight rates on these railways
| he regards as bordering on the danger line
| of legislation, although he is strongly in
| favor of anything that can absolutely pre-
| vent determinations between the various
shippers, who are constantly using these
| modern highways. He believes that Con-
I gress should see to the nature of the clas
| siications that are made on the railroads
| in order to prevent unfair Determinations
! between different classes of shippers.
when the House of Representatives
| passed the Esch-Townsend bill in two days
for the regulation of railroad freight rates. +"
said Mr.. Scott yesterday. Il felt sure that the
| Senate would give the bill the consideration
that 1t could not have had in the House
because of the haste in disposing of it.
felt sure that the conservative men of the
Senate would endeavor to understand the
intricate questions involved in the traffic
affairs of the roads, and that the Senate
would not jeopardiZe the enormous invest
ment that has been made in railroad de-
velopment in response to any clamor that
might be made for hasty action.
Risks Of Railway Builders.
Think of the condition that we meet in
dealing with this question. For sixty years
the building of railroads has been 60
ing on. Men have put their fortunes
in them and their beneficial nature
has been acknowledged everywhere. The
great west has been built up to large eX-
tent by this influence. But the business of
railroad building was hazardous for many
years. Roads were built and there was
great uncertainty as to their value. Some
paid well and others were failures. But,
finally, within the past few years, after
having gone through liquidation, the rail-
roads of the country have been placed upon
a sound basis, so that railroad securities
are held largely by trust companies, life
insurance companies, administrators for
trust estates and as a means Of investing
the life savings of many people. These in
vestments have been made with the idea
that after all the ups and downs OF railway
development. and management they had
been placed on sound basis.
Fixing Rates Of the Roads.
Now it is proposed that somebody shall
step in and tell the roads how much they
shall charge their patrons for hauling
freight. The rates are to be fixed abso-
lutely by men who have no financial inter-
est in the roads. Do you suppose the roads
would ever have been built If the men who
built them had been told that when they
had finished their work and had made their
investment the HXlnS OF tne rates WOulQ De
by men without interest in them? Suppose
proposition were made today to build an
other road from this city to Annapolis, for
instance, at a cost of couple of millions
of dollars and that when it should be com
, pleted men not connected with 1t should be
allowed to demand the right to tell that
railroad company exactly what it should
charge for freight? Do you suppose the
road wuold be built? OF course not. No
one would put up the money for such
purpose under such conditions.
IT am a glass manufacturer. Suppose
proposition was made for me to enlarge
my works in West Virginia, with the under
standing that when 1 had completed the
Improvement some one would come along
with little knowledge OF the business and no
interest in 1t to fix the prices at Whlch the
product Of that factory should be sold.
Would the addition ever be built? think
Discrimination Should Cease.
Railway discrimination should be stop
ped Of course. Whatever discrimination OF
that kind exists should be reached by
proper legislation IL that is the way to do
it, think there are wrongs Of which the
railroads are guilty in connection with the
classifications they make for different kinds
of freight. But whatever we do should be
done deliberately after very careful con-
sideration of the wrongs that are to be cor
rected. Many men have spent their lives in
studying these questions in relation to rail-
roads, and they do not know 1t all. For
myself, / feel that / could say in half
day all know about this subject of railroad
freights, but 1t would take me two weeks
to tell what do not know about it.
81 see that out In Chicago the people
have voted for municipal ownership of the
street railroads 1t may be we are coming
to that issue in relation to our interstate
railroads. If we are to come to government
ownership of the railroads I have little
hope for any beneficial results in that di-
rection in the future. Our prosperity de-
pends upon taking the right action In all
these matters and it is wise not to thought
lessly sacrifice the prosperity that exists all
over the country today. I believe that the
Senate can be depended upon to take no
action without careful consideration"