Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-08

TONNAGE FOR SALE.
The Bee prints in another column an
interesting communication from a well
known wholesale lumber dealer in which
he makes the ingenious plea that rail
road transportation is nothing but the
sale Of tonnage on the part OF a shipper,
and that the shipper should be entitled
20 get the lowest rate on his sale OF ton
mage that n competitive market will af-
ford. From his viewpoint the granting
and accepting of rebates is nothing more
than the variable bidding Of the railroads
for the tonnage shippers have to sell. If
tho acceptance of rebates is a crime, he
argues, the selling of tonnage is crime,
and II selling of tonnage is a crime the
selling Of all merchandise at profit is
crime And the suggestion is offered
that the law should make 1t permissible
for transportation lines to lower their
rates, but not 10 raise them so as to pro
duce ~ healthy competition
This appeals to us as a modern re-
finement of the old contention that the
railroad is a private corporation, con-
Quoting its business for its own profit,
and that the government has no more
right TO prescribe regulations for run
ming railroad than IL has for running
dry goods store. All that was neces-
sary to be done, so we used to be told,
was TO let the railroads alone and the
railroad managers would operate them
benefcently with view to the greatest
good to the greatest number consistent
with the latest dividends on their
watered stock.
But few intelligent railroad men
would today hold to this let-alone doe
trne. The necessity of government SUI
peryision to insure safety of travel and
traffic and to prevent discrimination be-
tween persons and places is generally
conceded. Few railroad men venture to
they admit their destructive tendency
and often urge the legalizing of pooling
as the surest way to terminate the re-
bate evil.
iut ihtd NlluN - NUN
ing but the sale of tonnage overlooks
the real character of the railroad as II
common carrier and the privileges en-
| joyed of eminent domain and other
| franchise rights acquired without price
and capitalized for millions of dollars.
As n common carrier the railroad is in
duty bound to treat all patrons alike.
1t has no more right to buy the tonnage
Of one shipper at a less or greater price
| than the same tonnage of like classified
ton Of another shipper than the post
Office has to carry the letters of one bust
ness establishment for half the postage
exacted on the letters of competing
business establishment,
II freight transportation is merely
tonnage for sale then passenger trans
pprtatiOp must also he tonnage for sale
and the passenger contemplating a trip
by rail should ask for bids from the
various railroads to see which will carry
him cheapest If, as Is urged. the value
Of tonnage is thoroughly understood by
every business firm In the United States
and is regularly used TO extort special
favors from the railroads, then a strict
antl-rebate law should be welcomed by
the railroads as an aid to them in with
standing the pressure of the tonnage
sellers. More than that, they ought to
welcome legislation that will vest In
some public body the authority to say
whether rate is excessive or not and
to substitute a reasonable rate, and thus
put an end TO the tendency of their own
rute-makers TO cut under established
schedules under duress.
II is TO be noted, however that the
railroad spokesman and publicity Iu-
reaus are all opposed to any legislation
that will interfere with their unlimited
license to make rates as they please.