Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-18

board of trade and transportation protested
against giving the power to the interstate
commerce commission of making railroad
rates.
Mr.. c. w. Robinson of the New Orleans
board of trade, representing the sentiment
OF the south, he said, favored the sulssti-
tute, or minority. resolution. He said 1t
was dangerous to place unbridled power in
the hands of any one man or set of men
Mr.. Mahlon n. Kline of the Philadelphia
Trades League supported the minority re-
Port.
want regulations by which we may go to an
impartial jury. The merchants and ship
pers of this country should first express
themselves in harmony with the man who
received the greatest majority in the his
tory of this country and who stands for
the best interests of our common land
This was greeted with hearty applause.
Favored Majority Report.
Mr.. Fl. T. Newcomb of the Washington,
D. c., Board of Trade, and who is a member
of the law firm of Ralsten & Siddons, spoke
in favor of the majority report. He said:
1.-The power to regulate commerce is COM
plete and is limited only by the require
ment that property shall not be taken with
out due process of law But when such
power is exercised it should be exercised
wisely and after thorough investigation. In
eighteen years the interstate commerce
commission has decided only 353 cases, and
only 134 in favor of the complainant. Sew
enty per cent of the orders directing
changes in rates have been voluntarily
oteyed by the railroads. Most of the other
cases have gone to the courts, and in only
two of the contested cases has the action
of the commission been sustained
NO one in this body would favor giving
general rate-making powers to the inter-
state commerce commission, but this is
what would be done by the Quarles-Cooper
lit in
Congress or under public discussion. Any
one may be a complainant before the COM
mission, and the Supreme Court has de-
cided that no complaint can be dismissed
on account of absence of direct damage to
the complainant. The complaint may be
as broad as the United States and may
involve all the railroads in the country.
(Mr. Newcomb showed this by citing cases
tried before the commission, and also by
a quotation of one of the decisions of the
United States Supreme Court.
1T is not generally understood" con-
tinned Mr.. Newcomb. that the interstate
commerce commission seeks and the
Quarles-Cooper bill proposes to confer
the power to raise rates upon the COM
mission. The commissioners have repeat
edly asked for this power, and it is per-
fectiy clear that in the great majority of
cases the only reasonable action it could
take would be to order advances"
The convention at 1:35 O'Clock took
recess until 2:3O o'clock this afternoon, in
order that the delegates might proceed in
body to the White House and pay their
respects to the President at noon.
a vote will be taken on the rate traffic
resolution during the afternoon, and then
the committee on merchant marine will
make it's report
Banquet Last Night.
Speaker Cannon was a guest of honor and
the principal speaker at the annual ban
quet of the board last night. The speaker
voiced his sentiments regarding the ques-
ton of tariff legislation, river and harbor
Improvements and the amendment of the
interstate commerce law. He reminded
his hearers that this is the short session of
Congress and that the members are to
agree on legislation that will devote APP
proximately s65O.000,O00 to the public serv-
ice. If the throttle is to be opened 100000
COO more easily could be appropriated, and
yet there would be a cry for more.
Regarding the tariff question, Mr.. Can
non said it was the consensus of opinion
that it was better to wait a year before un
dertaking to revise the revenue laws. Il
think" he said. I'VE have a pretty good
revenue law both regards the customs
and the internal revenue and he added
with smile I'VE need the money I'm
der existing conditions the speaker said,
my impression is that the Congress of the
United States will hesitate to run the risk
of hating the business interests of the
country. l trust that when adjournment of
Congress comes the country will get rest
substantially until the first Monday in De-
cember.'
Regarding the interstate commerce law
Mr.. Cannon was inclined to think it posi-
BILE to give the country something in the
way of legal machinery that would correct
the inequities that now exist. In the
naming days of Congress, he added. legisla-
ton may be enacted that will tend to cor
rect the present inequities between the dis
tributer and the consumer.
On the subject of rivers and harbors Mr..
Cannon said that wise provision will be
made by Congress for the improvement of
our waterways and great inland seas so
far as practicable.
Addresses also were made by ]. J. SulliI
van. the president of the board; Represent
tatives Burton of Ohio and DrscoH of New
York, ]. Hampton Moore of the bureau of
manufactures and Commissioner Garfield Of
the bureau of corporations. -