The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-08-02


lar class of property from all others, tc
be dealt with indiviously by special
tribunal and by special methods.
1.-THE effect Of such regulation un-
doubtedly would be the curtailment OF
future railway construction and i'm.
provements, not only by reason of the
impairment of railway credit, but also
from the unwillingness of investors to
own or to enlarge properties the reve'
nues of which would be practically uu.
der governmental or political control
and the expenses still be subject to the
uncertainties of industrial conditions
"Under the provisions Of the present
act, much good has been accomplish
ed. Despite occasional but persistent
statements to the contrary, the evil ol
rebates, secret contracts, and unjust
DETERMINATIONS has almost entirely
disappeared.
1.-The Townsend bill provides that q
rate once fixed by the commission
should continue in force indefinitely
unless changed by the commission OF
by the court. Under such law at all
rates would in time become commits.
sion's rates, and the functions of rail.
way managers in adjusting rates 10
meet commercial conditions and in ex.
tending the sphere of usefulness of the
transportation systems of the country
would, step by step, come 10 an end.
Slow but steady paralysis would CREEP
into The industrial arteries through
which the blood of commerce flows
and the transportation system would
gradually become numb and rigid.
The present activities Of railway man.
ayers would be eliminated as an agency
in the intelligent development of tine
resources of the country. Rates would
soon be machine.made only, and com.
mercial and industrial centers, now
acknowledging no bound for the ulti.
mate distribution of their products
would find themselves operating IN
narrower and narrower zones, finally
circumscribed by Governmental edicts
as to where their ares should CO."
I next qnote from the analysis Of the
Esch-Townsend bill by the Hon. Wal
ker D. Hines, Of Louisville, KY, as
follows:
"In point of fact, the only thing
more radical than this bill Which could
be enacted would be to provide tol
government ownership Vf the rail
roads.
"This bill will clearly enable the
commission 10 lut into effect it's theo.
ries about what should be the relative
advantage of competing locslitier
which will introduce sectional. and
possibly political, phase into the ad
ministration of the interstate com.
merce act that was absolutely removed
from all the theories of regulation
which congress seriously considered
when the interstate commerce act was
passed. Much of hesupport for the
pretent measure comes from parties in
terested in particular localities who
hope 10 profit by the commission beint
able to give effect to its theories as lc
the comparative commercial advant'
ages of competing communities, al
though every one must, on reflection.
appreciate that every time the COM
mission helps one community by such
an exercise of its power it correspond
ingly hurts another, and also puts q
check upon the most wholesome com.
petition which has ever existed in this
country that is, the competition be
tween rival localities or rival sources
of production for the markets of the
country.
ITO borrow phrase from one of oul
most accomplished statesmen, the agi'
tation for the amendment of the in
terstate commerce act is simply for.
tuitous concOure of unrelated plejudi
ces': and the bill now proposed does
not remove the various causes of those
prejuices, but launches the country OIL
an absolutely untried and uncertain
system of commercial regulation with.
out time TO consider what is really
needed and what the bill really meant
and yet upon System which is frauhgl
with the gravest menace 10 the rail.
roads and the commerce of the coun.
try"
Hon. Joseph Nimmo, Jr., statistician
and economist, of Washinton, D. G.,
having submitted an analysis of the re.
ply of the present Interstate Commerce
Commission to the senate resolution in
January last, makes clearly coDvinc'
ing statistics and conclusions relative
to the injurious effect Of the Esch'
Townsend bill, and he concludes biz
argument as follows:
1.-THE foregoing statements clearly
prove the efficiency and sufficiency OF
the present act to regulate commerce as
amended. They al u re fleet great credit
upon the administration of The present
statutory regulation Of the railroads
At the same time they utterly repeI
the revolutionary idea of establishing
bureaucratic government in this coun
try for the regulation of interstate com
merce. The very assumption thai
more drastic statutory legislation than
that now in force is needed is upon its
face preposterous.
Would Help New Eng land.
Relative to the political dangers Of
the sch-Townsend bill, Hon. H. T.
Newcomb, statistician and economist
of Washington D. g., quotes from re.
cent speech of all eminent, New Eng
land statesman as follows:
"This movement is q movement fol-
the equalization of rates. 1t is case
of rebates TO individuals and of the diff.
ferentials between points. No railroad
wants to give rebate to anybody. /
believe that it would put more money
into the treasures Of the railroads il
there were not such things present sys.
tenn can ever put there. We have
dealt somewhat with the question OF
rebates and individuals. They are
comparatively easy to deal with, but
when you come to the differentials be.
tween points you touch communities,
and that Is very serious matter and
today New York and Boston are SUI.
fering from the railroad differentials,
and are made to suffer for the benefit