The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-26
RATE HEARINGS
RULED BY ROADS
Senators Played Into the Hands
of the Railroads, and OPP
posed President. =
Resume of Rate Hearings Before
Senate Committee Shows
the Trend.
By w. w. Jermane.

BY w. w. Jermane.
Washington, May 26.-The hearings
on the rate question before the senate
committee on interstate commerce,
which began April II, and closed yes
terday, developed several interesting
situations, chief of which was the pro-.
railroad attitude assumed by the SEN
ate committee. Its members would not
have proceeded differently if, instead
people and charged with doing exact
Justice between them, they had BEEN
the paid attorneys of the railroads.
bent on preventing the development of
testimony that would strengthen the
demand for a larger federal control of
rates.
Witnesses testifying in favor of the
railroads have been afforded every ia
cility. Interruptions were few, and
chiefly to make the railroad argument
clearer and stronger.
Witnesses testifying against the rail-
roads have had to ruin a gauntlet Of un-;
friendly Interruptions, in several cases
preventing the witnesses from making
a coherent and we'll balanced argument.
support Of the administration policy,
notably E. P. Bacon Of Milwaukee, and
Professor Ripley Of Harvard, were de-
tanned in Washington day after day,
while railroad witnesses were being
heard, and Mr.. Bacon finally felt i'm
PEELED to assume the aggressive and de-
mand that he be heard with reasonable
promptness
The committees attitude has been
decidedly hostile to the president IS
Were Big Shippers Coerced?
Another interesting feature has been
the presence Of big shippers from the
important terminal points, every one Of
whom testified that he was entirely
hsatisfed with existing conditions and
did not want any new legislation:
These big shippers, by reason Of their
location, have for years been enjoying
the special privileges which the presi-
dent desires to remove and it is sus-
pected that in most cases they appeared
in Washington as the result Of a re-
guest made by the railroads, request
which was equivalent to a demand, and
which they did not think it wise to re-
fuse.
A few shippers from the smaller COM
the proposition to leave the present
condition undisturbed, but, on examina-
ton, it has been found that these
which place them on plane Of equality
with the most favored shippers. The
small shippers as class have not been
heard, but their voice, through their
representatives in congress next win
ter, will be effective. .<ss.-ss- =. "a
No Work in the House.
The railroads have determined not to
do any missionary" work among
. members Of the house. They will con
= fine their efforts to the senate, which il
smaller and more easily handled. One
q senator can do more to prevent actor
! on a given bill than the whole of thu
l house, + excepting the speaker And be
: sible to the public at large, and for thai
= reason can do with impunity many
things the house would not think O:
doing.
1t is this situation which gives a,
=. ominous color to the fact that the sen
ate committee which has been conduct
prorailroad in sympathy. The inference
: is easy that the senate committee is no
!. more strongly prorailroad than the sen
q ate as a whole Any legislation tina
4 may be enacted will represent a con
n cession on the part Of the. senate, tina
body may ultimately conclude that
J. will be better to yield something nov
q sentiment later on to pitch that might
j. from the railroad viewpoint, be daI
n gerous. .-...
O. Railroads Man Of Straw.
The railroads have been setting UP
man Of straw, hoping that by knockin
u him over they would satisfy the pet
Is pie. Almost without an exception-th
Y most noted exception was Presiden
"a Stickney of the Chicago Great Wester
y road-the railroad men who have test
" fed have assumed that the presider
u wanted rate law that would paraly2
= the commerce of the country and pr
duce a commercial and industrial rev
luton, with consequent chaos.
This man Of straw was exposed b
IN E. P. Bacon and by members Of tt
interstate commerce commission. M
Bacon furnished the key to the situ
y ton when he said the legislation whic
~ ~ is asked for would have a deterre1
20 effect upon railroad management. TT
IL IL very fact that legal remedy was :
oS hand would make the railways less a
u u rogant and more inclined to deal fair
~, as between communities and commod
n ties.
IL AS to Remedy in Courts. -.
se It has been observed that the sena
ma committee has had for hobby the i'd
IT. that the proper remedy might be -four
IT'S in the courts, and apparently the COZ
mittee has been seriously considering
report recommending legislation tn
would require the courts, after tn
have said certain rate was unreaso
&C. able, to name rate in its stead.
But Attorney General Moody point
out that the making of rates was
'rt legislative and not judicial functlo
I'm and that statute calling upon the :.
in dietary to exercise the legislative fur f,1i
for ton would be promptly ignored. Tn
nj the senate committee has been 8
ne ouainted with the constitutional lnhl'
ne ton, no one will doubt. When the CO.
>u- mittee, therefore, suggests remedy
lch impotent as this one, it must be I
ex- the purpose Of delay, to give the "a
of ways time by voluntary action to G
las rect the abuses complained of, and tn
- quiet the public without enactlng, a
lu- legislation that the courts will upho
,ad Senate to Yield Little.
nd The senate committee will yield
the little as possible to public sentime
so far as rate-making is concerned.
ON other points it will be exceedingly |
rth eral. During the hearings one or t
is railroad witnesses have referred to t
en- private car companies and the termll
is railways as instrumentalities for. ble
mo-, the RAILWAYS. There Will