Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-12
cuMmIHs, PLEA FOR the PEOPLE.


For several weeks the American
neople have witnessed the spectacle
of a rate hearing held by senate COM
mittee on interstate commerce, the
chairman Of which is millionaire
owner of railroad property. UP to TINS
/ time the hearing has been devoted al
most exclusively to the arguments OF
railway officials and few big SNIP
ners whose relations with the railroads
make them entirely satisfied with the
present situation. 1t has remained Tor
a western governor. man who was
elected to office against the powerful
and most determined opposition Oh
railroad political attorneys, to repre-
sent the public and present the peo-
pies side of the controversy. Ana
while he was subjected to cross exam
nation for four hours the country
witnessed the spectacle of railroad
attorney sitting at the elbow OF Chair
man Elkins, suggesting to the court IN
terrogatories intended to embarrass
the peoples witness.
Governor Cummins made a strong
plea for reasonable and sane rate regu-
lation. He began by showing that the
railroads had tried to obscure the issue
by raising their argument against the
impracticability of the government DO
Ing all rate making when, in fact, all
that has been proposed is for a gov
ernment commission to have power
to act quickly when a rate has been
adjudged unfair
Cummins, representing. the Iowa
Manufacturing Association. explained
that the manufacturing and jobbing
interests of the west were injured and
handicapped by rates that gave their
far-distant competitors greater adj
vantage in the western field but he
also admitted that 1t was possible that
a distance tariff would not be the best
for all interests. His strong point,
however, was that because there were
complaints of this kind 1T is intoler-
able to ask them to submit their con-
troversies for final adjudication to
their adyersaries." A tribunal which
can see to 1t that competitors have
square deal'' in reaching their mar
kets was demanded
AS to the railroad contention that
railroad property would be confiscated
by commission exercising the right
to fix rates, Cummins showed from the
net income of all the railroads in the
United States that railroad property
was earning per cent on an average
valuation Of $62,927 per mile, or 5.S per
cent on the combined capitalization
and bonded indebtedness. He then ar
gued that railroad stocks had been
watered somewhat because in his own
state the railroads themselves had con-
tended before the executive council
most emphatically that q valuation of
$23,4S5 per mile was too high for the
RAILROADS. IN iowa anu yet, COlUpdIiuS
the gross earnings per mile, the valua-
ton Of all roads would be only IS per
cent higher than the value Of the Iowa
roads. So Taking our valuation per
mile, which the railroads agreed was
excessive, and adding to it Sc per cent.
we have $sS.6s6 per mile, which, in
my opinion, is not Far from the actual
cost Of the railways as whole" said
Cummins.
Showing that Iowa cattle feeders
who were denied the feeding in transit
rates given the Nebraska feeder were
injured and that the rates could be adj
justed SO as to bring the packing
houses and factories to Iowa, Cummins
argued that the PROPOSED reform was
neither new nor radical but simply a
square deal for the people who must
use the common carriers and who,
must either make the rate or take the
railroads and, he said, "In our state
xvo profar tho Hrct a1forp, fiy,a,s