Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-11-30
RATES AND RATE INEQUALITIES
From the Washington Correspondent New Yorh
sun, November g, 1902

From the Washington Correspondent New Yorh
sun, November g. 1909
In his Raleigh speech the president ad-
vanced no new argument in support OF
federal control OF railway rates. With
characteristic yigOr he pounded a recog-
nized evil for the suppression OF which
existing laws are only little short OF duly
adequate. lie made no allusion to the
possible results OF stern and unrelenting
enforcement OF laws already provided for
the restraint OF what he calls ''unscrupu-
/ lous and ruthless cunning in railway man
agement," by which 'some big shippers
and some railroad managers, who are al
ways willing to take unfair advantage OF
their weaker competitors, force other big
shippers and big railroad men who would
| ike to do decently into similar acts OF
wrong and injustice. under penalty OF be-
! ing left behind in the race for success"
This, which is the main line of the pres
/ ident's argument, does not seem to touch
the principal issue Of the present eonsid-
| Grafton, namely, the question OF reason
able rates, Upon the issue Of the equality
OF rates and treatment for all shippers,
there is little room for argument. Ship
pers, railways and the public are in gener-
al agreement upon that point. With some
elaboration OF the present laws, to which
little or no objection will be rsised, the
point OF unfair discrimination may be
covered as well as it can be. Ii is doubt
full II any such law could be made abso-
lutely effective.
Bur that is an issue which is quite dis
tinct from the proposal to place rate
making powers in the hands of an adj
ministratiye body. There appears to be
confusion upon this point. There is a
wide difference between the prohibition Of
any form OF unfair discrimination be-
tween shipper and shipper, or between
point and point, and the determination Of
rate charges by a federal commission. IL
is TO the hitter and not to the former that
objection is made. Mr.. Roosevelt said
that "actual experience has shown that il
is not possible to leave the railroads I'M
controlled" l do not know the exact
period Of this actual experience. / am
under an impression that railways are,
and always have been, subject to a long
list of restraining laws, statutory as well
as economic.
Our transportation system has made
this country what il is today. Our de-
velopment has not come in spite OF our
system, but because OF ii. That abuses
have crept in is undeniable. Abuses have
crept INTO our government controlled
postal system and into our government
supervised and regulated banking system.
But freedom of action in rate max ing has
enabled railways to open enormous areas
tribute the products OF our farms and our
workshops in manner impossible under
restrained action. The history of all state
rate making shows the inevitable tendency
Of that method toward. the fiat distance
tariff. Such system in this country OF
enormous areas and distances would turn
farms into waste places and valuable ma
chinery into junk.
Nowhere in the entire range OF the rail-
way discussion has II been shown that the
country has suffered or that II is suffering
from excessive railway rates. Outside OF
individual instances, whose rarity makes
them almost unique, there has been
neither complaint OF excessive charges nor
clamor for reduction by a federal COM
mission. The call for rate regulation by
a commission or by court does not come
from our thousands upon thousands OF
shippers. IL is the cry OF a few who hope
TO gain by il, augmented BY the roaring OF
non-shippers who have little or no knowl-
edge of transportation questions
The country, the shippers, and even the
railways will support the president in any
effort to remedy evils, TO correct abuses, to
stamp out inequalities and unfair discrim-
nations. But II is not railway managers
only who are staggered by proposals that
a commission be empowered either to tx
rates or to regulate railway tariffs.-fAdy.