The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-12-08

| ''i'P'ali( ana AIltt liNpStl
| satiOn. heavy penalty Sho,IId h. az
ac'eu from any corporation which fails
! |" respect an order OF the commission
| resd!u TINS power TO establish maximum
| iate as being essential to any scheme Of
! real reform in the matter Of railway
| regulation, The first necessity is to sn
| cure It, and unless it is granted to the
| COMMISSION there IS little use in touch
ing the subject at all.
Continuing, the President earnestly
diSciallnS any spirit of hostility to
Inc railroads, pointing out the bene.
hts to be derived by the fair-dealing
roads in the even-handed administra-
tion OF justice. In this both the hon
est railroad man and the honest ship
per alike would be benefited. Ending
the subject, the President says:
All private-car lines. industrial roads
| refrigerator charges, and the like should
| pe expressly put under the supervision
Vi the interstate Commerce commission or
some similar body So far as rates and
| agreements practically affecting rates, are
| concerned The privHte-Car owners and
| me owners Of industrial railroads are
| eHt!tted TO 4 fair and reasonable compen-
|
| private cars nor industrial railroads nor
| spur tracks should he utilized as devices
| ior securing preferential rates rebate
IN lclng charges. or in mileage or IN a
DIVISION OF the rate for Tefrigerating
| charges Is just as pernicious as a rebate
in any other way No lower rate should
| apply on goods imported than actually
| OBTAINS TO domestic goods from the
| American seaboard To destination except
| IN cases where water competition is the
| FGt in f4,,,N
| publicity OF the accounts OF common car
! TIERS no common carrier engaged in
! interstate business should keep any books
| or memoranda other than those reported
| pursuant TO law or reguIa ton. and these
| BOOKS or memoranda should be open to
the Inspection of the government. Only
| IN this way can violations or evasionS OF
| the law be surely detected. A system Of
examination Of railroad accounts should
| be provided similar TO that now conducted
| INTO the national banks by the bank
| examiners; few tirst-Class railroad ac-
countants, If they had proper direction
| and proper authority to inspect books
| and papers. could accomplish much in
| preventing willful violations OF the law
! ii would not be necessary for them to
examine into the accounts Of any railroad
unless for good reasons they were direct
! ed to do so by the Interstate Commerce
commission. 1t Is greatly to be desired
that some way might be found by which
| an a6iCtlHCiil rs W tIdHSppI lJlitU Win
in state intended to operate as fraud
| upon the federal interstate commerce
| laws could be brought under the juris
diction OF the federal authorities. At
! present II occurs that large shipments
| Of interstate traffic are controlled by con-
l. cessiOns on purely state business, which
| OF course amounts to an evasion Of the
| law. The commission should have power
| to enforce fair treatment by the great
| trunk lines Of lateral and branch lines.
l urge upon the Congress the need for
| expeditions action by the Interstate Com
merCe commission in all these matters
| whether in regulating rates for Transport
! tation or for storing or for handling
property or commodities in transit. The
! history Of the cases litigated under the
present commerce act shows that it's
! efficiency has been TO a great degree
| destroyed by the weapon OF delay, almost
| the most formidable weapon in the hands
of those whose purpose it Is to violate
| the law.
The question of transportation lies at
| the root Of all industrial success and the
revolution in transportation which has
! taken place during the last half century
| has been the most important factor in the
| growth of the new industrial conditions.
Most emphatically we do not wish to see
! the man of great talents refused the re-
ward for his talents. Still less do We wish
to see him penalzed; but we do desire to
see the system of railroad transportation
! so handled that the strong man shall be
given no advantage over the weak man.
! We wish to insure as fair treatment for
the small town as for the big city, for the
small shipper as for the big shipper. In
the old days the highway Of commerce,
whether by water or by road on land.
was open to all; it belonged to the public
and the traffic along il, was free. At
present the railway is this highway, and
we must do our best to see that it is kept
open to all on equal terms. Unlike the
old highway it is very difficult and
complex thing to manage, and 1t Is far
better that it should be managed by
private individuals than by the govern
ment. But it can only be so managed on
condition that justice is done the public.
1t is because in my judgment, public
able and would probably in this country
entail far-reaching disaster that wish
to see such supervision and regulation
Of them in the interest Of the public as
will make 1t evident that there Is no need
for public ownership. The opponents of
government regulation dwell upon the
difficulties to be. encountered and the
intricate and involved nature Of the prob
lem. Their contention is true. 1t is q
complicated and delicate problem, and all
connection with any. plan. Of solution.
while no plan will bring all the benefits
hoped for by its more optimistic adher-
ents Moreover, under any healthy plan.
the benefits will develop gradually and not
rapidly Finally. We must clearly under
stand that the public servants who are
to do this peculiarly responsible and
delicate work must themselves be OF the
highest type both as regards integrity and
efficiency. They must be well paid. for
otherwise able men can not In the long
run be secured; and they must possess
lofty probity which will revolt as quick
ly at the thought of pandering to any
gust of popular prejudice against rich
men as the thought Of anything even
remotely resembling subserviency to rich
men. But while | fully admit the diff
culties in the way. l do not for moment
admit that these difficulties warrant us
in stopping In our effort to secure wise
and just system. They should have no
other effect than to spur us on to the
exercise of the resolution, the even hand
which we like to think OF as typically
American, and which will in the end
achieve good results In this as in other
fields of activity. The task Is great
one and underlies the task OF dealing
with the whole industrial problem. But
the fact that it Is a great problem does
not warrant us in shrinking from the
attempt to solve 1t. At present We face
such utter lack OF supervision, such
freedom from the restraints of law, that
excellent men have often been literally
forced into doing what they deplored
because otherwise they were left at the
mercy Of Inscriptions competitors. To
rail at and assail the men who have done
accomplishes little. What we need to do
Is to develop an orderly system: and
such a system can only come through
the gradually increased exercise OF the