Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-01
RAILROAD EMPLOYEES AND RATE,
Misnpprehcnsion of the PrcsidcnCs
Policy FOstered by Corporations.

Misnpprehenston of the prcsidcnts
Policy FOstered by Corporations
New York Tribune
The fears of rate legislation which hays
been fostered among the railway employees
who presented their protest to the prcs.
dent seem to have been founded on an
utter misapprehension Of what Is proposed
Il is a misapprehension which some OF
the railroad managers and their press
agents are doing their best 20 create and
Il Is not surprising that the workmen should
have fallen into Il. The objections con.
jured up against moderate rate Legislation
are largely paniclSy and based on an fN.
aggerated notion of the esoteric wisdom
OF railroad freight agents Nobody wants
to upset the railroad business or hurt tho
railroads, and nobody proposes any measure
remotely threatening such a result. The
evils for which a remedy Is sought are
not high rates, but unequal rates. The
argument that any government regulation
must tend toward a lower level OF rates
is pure assumption. II may be as plausi-
bly, argued that by cutting OF discrimIna.
tons concerning which the railroads them.
selves profess to be helpless in the hands
Of rapacious shippers the average level Of
rates, earning power and wage fund OF
railroads would be raised
The presidents views of rate making
as recently outlined by Senator Knox in
a speech at Pittsburg, contemplate nothing
remotely threatening these imaginary dan
gers. We may pass over possible legisla-
ton against private car abuses and secret
rebates, which would merely strengthen
the machinery for securing equality now
required by law The president. according
to Mr.. Knox, believes that the Interstate
Commerce commission should have power
after hearing on a complaint, TO fix
reasonable rate and enforce It unless or
until reversed by the courts. The railroads
would make their rates as they do now
The commission would have no initiative
It would not act on its own knowledgc
but judiciously, after hearing what the COM
plainants and the railroad had 10 say
The court performs a similar function
now. 1t may declare a specific rate I'M
reasonable, and by long process Of exclu-
sion of one unreasonable rate after an
other force a reasonable rate, but Il can
not afirmatively fix and enforce reason.
able rate and SO make its authority i'm.
mediately effective. The plea that the
railroads should be subject TO no review
in this matter is met by the fact that they
are now subject to the courts, only the
operation of litigation is so slow as 20
amount TO denial OF justice to shippers
Prompt relief is needed from a competent
body. 1t is said that the commission can
not be trusted with such a power. But
even railroad managers must see that that
plea is rather ridiculous. 1t would tax
credulity to declare that these commits
sioners of long experience and If unds-
puted impartiality were less competent to
fix fair rate, even in the first instance
than some youth recently out OF college
who may be pitchforked into the Job OF
rate making by a father or an uncle In
control of road. When II is remembered
that the commission would only review
controverted rate and, with all the facts
marshalled by both sides before IL. say
whether 1t was just or not subject to ulti-
mate correction by the supreme court the
plea becomes absurd AS well say that men
of similar capacity on the bench are IN
competent to determine the merits OF an
involved and technical account, or try a
case turning on scientific matters trans
cending their original knowledge Such a
power as Is proposed would merely furnish
means to secure promptly decisions which
can be obtained now, but only after delays
which are oppressive.