Omaha daily bee., 1905-05-13
PRESENT RATES SUIT HORD
Nebraska 0attleman Tells Senate Com
mittee He Wants No Change,
sTlcKNEY TALKS OF MAKING OF REBATES
Freight Charges Are Manipulated
by Means of Elevator
Fees and Midnight
Tariffs.
q ~ ,s-puuwI liant,

!. q ~ sSrrmrI 5ont,
vAsr1NGrUN, May 12.-iSpecial Tele-
gram.)-T. b. Hord a cattle raiser, farmer
and grain dealer of Central City, Neb.,
appeared before the senate committee on
interstate commerce today to protest
against the proposed rate legislation. Mr..
Hord said: "At the present time the
railroads in my state give us good service.
They grant all reasonable demands. We
have the railway officers among us and we
want the conditions to remain unchanged
because. we are prospering. l came here |
at the request of friends who agree with |
me because we think 1t right to enter our |
protest"
Stickney Tells of Evasion.
A. 3. stickney, president of the Chicago |
Great Western, filed with the senate COM
mittee on interstate commerce a statement |
in favor Of giving the Interstate Commerce |
commission power to fix rates. He says |
that the commission would be the most |
satisfactory arbiter possible. Speaking !
of rebates, he says that since the in |
functions the traffic directors have stopped
paying rebates on grain shipments, but In
lieu thereof have paid elevator fees, which
is another way of giving rebates"
A government commission would be un-
lIdillhSlSu ny COlhptLllAOl VI 0 uSSllS W So-
cure tonnage for any particular line and
could frame an equitable schC dule.
Mr.. Stickney thought that the commits
sion should be allowed to fix minimum as
we'll as maximum rates or determinations
could not be prevented. Mr.. Stickney criti-
cized the free pass system.
Question of Railway Passes.
LAS an individual rule of action the law
| a Pro- ba aUaS q
nored by the congressman who passed
1t and by the president who approved it,
| and subsequently congressman and presi-
| dent with rare exceptions have ignored
| its provisions. Travelling, they present the
evidence of their misdemeanor before the
! eyes of the public in a way which indi-
| Gates no regard for the law. The gov
| ernors of the states, the judges, in short,
| all oficialdom In the highest to the low
| est, the higher clergy, college professors,
| editors, merchants, bankers, lawyers pres
ent the evidence of their misdemeanor In
the same manner.
There is one man. and but one man,
whose example would be effective. and, un-
| less the American people have misjudged
his character, If he realized that he was
transgressing the law in accepting the
courtesy of free transportation, Theodore
Roosevelt would have the virtue and the
courage and the ability to set the example,
| which shall awaken officialdom and all
good citizens to sense of the individual
duty TO obey this law - -. ss,..5
| Midnight Tariffs Condemned.
Discussing rebates Mr.. Stickney said:
Since the injunctions the traffic directors
| have stopped paying rebates on grain ship
ments, but in lieu thereof have paid ele-
vator fees, practice which the Interstate
Commerce commission has sanctioned as
admissible under the law Notwithstanding
1t Is evidently a rebate paid to elevator
owners which is not available to ordinary
shippers. The traffic directors have made
secret contracts with large shippers at
rates below the schedule rates, and having
thus secured the tonnage in advance they
publish" a schedule containing the con-
tract rates. Such schedules are called
midnight schedules" and have all the eff
fects of secret rebates. The small dealers
who have made contracts are saddled with
profits, and the railway company secures
large tonnage of competitive traffic.
These legal midnight schedules can only be
prevented by comforting upon a govern
ment commission the sole power to make
such schedules,
The committee, according TO Mr.. Stick
ney, would not make a separate schedule
for each railway. but only one schedule
for all the railways and it's duties would
} be to line up the existing rates to the best
of its ability.
, President H0msey tne stand.
, President Joseph Ramsey, jr, of the
Wabash railroad, was again a witness to-
day. opposing the proposed railroad rate
legislation. The advocates of the proposed
legislation, he contended, do not want
maximum rates, but desire a rate for the
benefit of their particular localities
, A number OF shippers testified in opLosi.
tion to granting the commission power to
fix rates. Nearly all of them said the
railroads treated them fairly and they did
not desire governmental interference
Among these shippers were: E. v. Hoard
of Central City, heb; Peter Jansen OF
Jansen, Neb.; F. H. Gilchrist. Kearney
= = Neb.; II. d. Rand. Burlington, Ia; S. w
Fordyce of st. Louis, and Edward Smedley
, of Dubuque, Ia.
n Wells for Employees.
With a view of safeguarding the health
n of its employees and those Of contractor
! on the Belle Fourche project in soutl
I Dakota, the reclamation service has di
s rected Engineer Walter to begin at 'onc
f the sinking OF a number OF artesian we'll
n at points where camps are to be located
The Belle Fourche valley is known to b
L in the artesian belt so there is PRACTICAL.
Il no uncertainty in regard to securing
supply of water suitable for domestic puT
n poses.
% Cummins Calls on President.
" Governor Cummins of Iowa saw tn
le president today before the cabinet met
The Iowa governor when asked what h
~ thought ought to be done to meet tn
g growing deficit OF the treasury said ther
-e were many ways suggested but there di
- - not seem to be any capitalization of sent
At ment on the subject He admitted tha
is changes in the tariff would be one way
~ IA bringing about additional revenues II
D. was not prepared to say whether he bS
e lieved this way would be adopted.
le Mrs. shaw Receivers.
The secretary of the treasury and Mr.
- Shaw have returned TO their Massachusett
y avenue home. after a few days spent
New York Mrs. Shaw has entirely recoN
cred from her recent illness aid is entel
tanning Mrs. Dulick. her sister, and Mis-
Bon. her niece.
A c. Smith of Omaha. head Of the n
a. E. Smith Dry Goods company of that cit.
"A who came TO Washington to tell the inte