The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-11-03

petitive rates and the effects of tile sys-
tenn must be understood.
petitive railways have existed, the actual
competitive rates have been made by the
rebate system.
The rebate system consists in collect
Ing from all shippers exactly the same
full! tariff rates. The shipments are billed
and entered on the books of both the
forwarding station and on the books OF
the receiving station. at full tariff rates
And these full rates are collected and
the money is RENTED to the treasury OF
the company. And so far as the accounts
and records at both the forwarding and
receiving stations-which are the only
records which are by any means aces
sible to the shippers-and so far as the
knowledge of the station agents goes.
rates on terms of exact equality. In
| no other way can the necessary secrecy
be maintained. Later, i portion Of the
money thus collected, sometimes per
times as much as 80 per cent. Is secretly
| returned to some of the shippers, but not
| to ALL And those who receive rebates
do not necessarily get the same percent
Mr.. Stickney proceeded to show that
prior to the establishment of the inter-
state commerce commission all the small
shippers had been driven out of business
large shippers in some cases exceeding
60 per- cent Of the total charges:
The Intention WAS Good.
The interstate commerce law. enacted
| In 1887, was designed to correct the evils
growing out of the system of making
| rates by rebates. The chairman of the
senate committee, in explaining the bill
when it was introduced in the senate
said:
1.-THE provisions of the bill are based
upon the theory that the paramount evil
chargeable against the operations of the
| transportation system Of the United
States, as now conducted. is unjust dis
elimination. The underlying purpose
and aim of the measure is the prevention
of these determinations"
The law has been amended, and as II
now stands, stripped of all its verbiage,
I it provides:
That the railway companies alone shall
| make the rates.
| That schedules of such rates shall be
printed and published.
That as long as such schedules are in
force neither more nor less than such
rates shall be collected.
| That such rates shall remain in force
and cannot lawfully be advanced until
ten days after nor lowered until three
days after, new schedules are printed and
That the failure of the railway COM
pany to strictly observe such rates shall
be misdemeanor. punishable by Il fine
of not less than S1.Ml0 or more than
$4,000 for each offense.
| 1t also makes 1T miSdemeanor for
any citizen-using the language of the
law-"to solicit, accept or receive any re.
bate, concession or discrimination in re.
spect to the transportation of any prop.
erty whereby any such property shall by
any device be transported al Il less IA Il
than that made in the tariffs published
and filed by the railway company" pun
ishable by like fine of not less thar
Railways Big Advantage.
1t is true that the law provides that the
rates thus made by the railway com
panies shall be reasonable and just
but, whether reasonable or unreasonable
until the court decides that rate is un
citizen ito solicit, accept or receive" an!
whereby his property shall by any de
vice be transported at less than the pub
Experience has proven that this genera
proposition. that all rates shall be rea
sonable and just enforceable only b.
the courts, is of little practical value
During the thirty years in which The
subject of reasonable rates has been il
controversy in this state l can recall bu
one case in which a citizen has had the
temerity to invoke the courts to enforce
court to court on appeals by the railwa!
company and was finally decided in the
citizens favor by the supreme court OF
the United States just five years after tn,
first trial. The amount involved was ex.
actly 43 cents.
When we consider that the whole vast
revenues OIL railways are cOllecteu
petty amounts varying from p cents tc
practically fifty or sixty dollars. rarely
more than 500, it will be readily seer
that no one individual would ever be
Everybody Is Mulcted.
Railway transportation enters into an6
becomes a part Of everything. 1t is pa6
by the consumers. without knowing wher
and how much is paid. When one buys
food or clothing he paws railway trans.
portation. When one buys Il theatel
pays rent. he pays railway transporta-
ton. In short. it permeates everything
and, like the air we breathe, no one car
sans INA 81 tbe a ana
shell, the railway companies have an alb.
solute monopoly in its production, and
under the law fix the price upon that
every living man must consume. and the
law makes it a misdemeanor for the con.
sumner to kick. Is this a square deal?"
square deal. Gov. Cummins, who is here
tonight. says it is not square dead
and every fair-minded man will say it Is
not square deal.
there are many competitive railways it is
of little practical Importance, because
unreasonable rates cannot t. be enforced
But in twenty ,, Years i possibly in tie ten
\
tive railways, and it therefore becomes
Important. while we can, to establish the
correct principle in the law, because
when all the railways of the country
are brought under one control, having
hundreds of thousands of voters. who are
employees, having absolute power to re-
ward and punish subserviency on the
part of all occupations, and having an
unlimited "yallar dog fund. the ability
of the then congress to establish the cor
| rect principle may well be doubted.
| Law Not Enforced.
The interstate commerce law had been
In existence but not to any considera BILE
extent enforced. about seventeen years
and the evils of discrimination We're still
rampant when Mr.. Roosevelt developed
his present attitude towards railway
rates by that famous message to con-
Kress in which he said:
/. "a hove all else, We must strive to keeE
the highways of commerce open to all or
| equal terms; and to do this it is neces-
sary to put complete stop to all rebates
Whether the shipper or the railroad Is to
blame makes no difference; the rebate
must be stopped the abuse of the private
car and private terminal-track and side.
track system must be stopped. and the
| Laaislation Of congress which declares !,
The Motor Boon to ireland.
In no country has the coming OF tn
motor made greater changes than Il