The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-12
Judge Grosscup Speaks
at Dinner in Boston.
ASKS A SQUARE DEAL
Discrimination in Rates Closes the
Door of Opportunity On One Com
munity While Opening II to
Others. Opportunity Of the
Railroads.
(By the Associated Press


Boston, Mass. March 10.-The
Presidents railroad policy was the
general subject of discussion at din
ner of the Economic Club, of Boston
tonight. The principal speakers were
Judge Peter S. Grosscun. of Chicago;
President Davil Wilcox, of the Della
ware & Hudson River Railroad Com
pany and Interstate Commerce Com
missioner Charles A. Prouty. Mr..
Prouty defended the proposed national
legislation and referring to the criti-
cism that legislators were not always
competent business men said that
while certain amount of expert
knowledge was necessary in the nrOper
regulation of railroad tariff the ques-
lions to be decided though recurring
good Judgment were not difficult OF
comprehension to one habitually en-
gagged in hearing them.
Mr.. Wilcox vigorously opposed the
interference of the government in tn
rate question and declared it impos-
Sible for a small body of men at
Washington to dictate properly what
the railroad rates of the country
should be. The remedy for existing
evils lay. he said, in a thorough en-
Judge Grosscup Opens.
Judge Grosscup said:
Whatever may be it's legal status,
a policy of discrimination that gives
to one set of persons in community
rates that are refused to the balance
of that community, or to certain COM
munities rates that are refused to
other communities, is policy of in
justice-unjust both to the persons
and communities Disseminated
against, and unjust to the people of
the United States as an entirety. 1t
is none the less unjust that the means
used to accomplish the discrimination
may have been indirect. Secret re-
bates are as unjust as direct differ
ences in rates. Arrangements by
which the private cars of particular
shipper are hauled at reduction that
substantially overmeasures the capital
invested by the shipper in such cars;
and arrangements to divide rates with
shippers, who pretend to be operating
independent railroads that in fact are
only switches, in q ratio not measured
by legitimate switch charges-all
these, and all other devices of their
kind, are equally unjust; for the in
Justice of the thing. whether it be
accomplished directly or by circumlo-
cution, is in the fact that one set Of
shippers are thus enabled to get their
goods into market at a cost that
competitive shippers cannot obtain.
And this injustice is one that 1t is the
business of our people, as nation.
to look after: for practically. 1T is
armed Intervention. by the railroads of
the nation, that in these days of small
profit turns the fortunes of the con-
test.
Injustice by Law.
But this is not ALL If. as some of
our courts have held, lesser rates.
under the law as it stands today may
be given to the larger shippers, slmp-
" because their shipments are large.
an unjust thing to the people of this
country is being done by the law. /
know the argument on which this dis
elimination is based / can see that
it may cost the railroads less. per
ton. to carry large shipments than to
carry small Cnes: and / appreciate the
fact that always. and in every DuSl-
ness. there has been charged to the
wholesaler a smaller percentage or
profit than to the retailer. But THESE
arguments. plausible as they. appear
standing apart, wholly miss the core
of the matter. considered in its ma
tional aspects No one doubts that the
whole structure of our business and
industrial life is still built on compe-
titfon. No one doubts that the whole
structure of republican institutions
still rests upon proprietorship. in DuSl-
ness and industry. widely distributed
among the people And no one doubts
that competition, and the continuance
of widespread individual proprietor
ship. depend upon fidelity to the
principle that every man shall be
given equal conditions, and equal OPP