Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-18
WILL COME TO ADVISE
The President Will Not Lack
for Counselors.
INVITATIONS SENT OUT
RAILWAY LEGISLATION AND THE
TARIFF TO BE CONSIDERED.
Representative Townsend Among
Those Who, It is Understood, Have
Been Asked to Be Here.

The tariff reformers and the "standpat-
ters" are getting ready for an active CAM
paign, which. in the first instance, Is to be
directed toward the President, and after
ward toward Congress. The return Of the
President to this city at the end of the
present month will be signal for gath
ering here of men who will wish to influ-
ence his forthcoming annual message to
Congress Some of these men have been
invited by the President. and others will in
wife themselves But they will come, and
there will be a superabundance Of advice
for the President to mediate upon.
Railway Rate Legislation.
The advocates of railway legislation will
also be on hand. 1t is understood that Rep-
resentative Townsend, one of the authors
of the Esch-Townsend bill, has been in
vited to confer with the President, as have
others The President is known to be as
fully determined to have legislation that
will be proof against determinations as
ever but just what the tenor of his annual
message to Congress will be Is not known,
and the greatest interest Is 1eit py ehose
in Congress who are anxiously watching
DEVELOPMENTS in rate Legislation But there
is sure to be lively time over such legis-
lation before the next session of Congress.
An Alleged Combination.
One of the most important Developments
in connection with rate legislation is the re-
ported agitation on the part of commercial
bodies of the Atlantic seaboard cities TO
combine against the enactment of the Esch-
Townsend bill or any other measure that
will have practically similar provisions, pc
cause of their fear that the result OF sucn
legislation would be to take away from
them the advantages they have always en-
loved in the matter of railroad rates be-
cause-of having ocean transportation. bos-
ton New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore
all have railroad rates fixed to other parts
of the United States in view of the possible
competition Of ocean transportation wheth-
er such ocean transportation is used to any
considerable extent or not. In nxlng the
rate for all of these cities the railroads have
to consider what freight rate could be Sc
cured from ocean lines. Such inland cities
as Cincinnati and St. Louis are in a Tar less
favored position for demanding and obtain
ing low railroad rates. 1t Is said that rep
resentatives of those inland cities have been
made to look with favor upon the Esch-
Townsend bill because of the promise IL
holds out to them Of being placed more
nearly on par with the Atlantic seapoaro
cities in the matter Of rates
A Distance Tariff Rate.
Governor Cummins of Iowa in his testi-
mony before the Senate committee on in
terstate commerce stated that In his view
a distance tariff throughout the United
States would be preferable to the present
system of fixing rates. He advocated dis
lance tariff based on the cost of the serv-
ice. OF course, If such plan or nxlns
railroad rates were put into effect there
would be a revolution in the manner OF
making up the tariff sheets of the railroads.
The practical manner OF hxing rates mas
been to base them on what the traffic will
stand" which Is the phrase used by rail-
road men, and which, in fact, means the
rate that can be maint tanned in view of all
competitive influences and which will al
low business to be pursued The railroad
men declare that the phrase what the
traffic will stand has been used to their
disadvantage by being quoted as meaning
extent of their ability. They claim that 1t
means simply what the traffic will stand
without being burdened to such an extent
as to interfere with the profitable conduct
of business.
A Mileage Tariff.
But this idea Of a mileage tariff. or one
that will be based on the cost of service Is
one that has taken hold Of those sections
Of the country that apparently would be
benefited by it, and 1t has aroused the sea-
board cities to activity in opposing it. The
representatives of the seaboard cities claim
that. while they have the advantage OF low
rates because Of the ocean transportation,
which they could secure as an alternative
to their transportation by land, the grain
producers OF the IaT west are having al
advantage in the transportation of their
grain to the seaboard at rates that are
lower than any return rate from the sea-
board to the same section of the country.
This, they claim, is absolutely necessary In
order that the grain shall reach the for
eign market at a competitive price. But
they say that II the natural advantage OF
the seaboard cities is to be done away with
this advantage in the rates applying to the
farm products of the far west will also
have to go.