The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-10
TOOK THEIR BREATH
SECRETARY TAFT's SPEECH TO
 RAILWAY MEN.
He and stuyvesant Fish Engage in Spirited Debate, Not on Program, Regarding Question of Rate
 I.eRfnlat ti0n.

| AfCBtehaaAOns
 l Washington, May 9.-Secretary Taft | fairly took the breath of the 800 rail- way men, members of the International | Railway Congress. in dining tonight as the guests of the American Railway | Association at the New Willard when, ! after being introduced as the apostle from the Philippines" he emphatical- l ly declared that railway rate legisla- 1 ton must come; that if the railway men of the country were wise they would aid and not hinder 1t; that the | sentiment of the country is such that | failure of proper legislation made a campaign on the subject that would do l no good to the railroads"
 Absolute silence reigned when Mfr | Taft spoke his mind on the subject of | rates. He was positively against gov ernment ownership. he said, believing that nothing @ deleterfous could come II to the country as this solution of the | question. But" he continued, you | cannot run railroads as you run prl- vate business. You must respond to l the public demand. If there is danger
 of discrimination then you must allow | the establishment of some tribunal | that will remedy that discrimination. | The Secretary saw no reason Nhy a
 tribunal properly constituted shoul1 not be competent in very sense of the word to fix a maximum rate.
 
 American Railway Association had in- | troduced Secretary Taft. In his capac- l ity as toastmaster MT. Fish was on his feet the instant the secretary fin ished. He answered the secretary at length. taking the view that the law to prevent discrimination double deal- ing and secret rebates was ample, and he vigorously called for the enforce ment of that law. MT. Fish talked of the vested rights of the money tied up in railways. He apologized for .al- lowing himself to be diverted and as he sat down Secretary Taft, who sat next to him, queried in a low tone, May I have fifteen minutes for re- ply?"
 This time was given and the secre- tary utilized 1t In making himself even more positive as to his position in favor of Legislator which would create a tribunal with authority to name a maximum rate. The law now is," continued Secretary Taft, "as decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that first a commission and then the courts may decide whether a particular rate is reasonable or un- reasonable. Now in fixing that in the very mental process of determining whether a rate is reasonable or un- reasonable, one has got to fix what is a maximum rate. As I understand 1t, what fs proposed is only that fin litigated cases a commission shall be constituted that shall fix a maximum rateI in other words, to go through the same process as 1t now goes through to determine what is a reasonable rate. What am strongly in favor, though, is that we shall have a body that shall decide things and that those things shall be decided within a reasonable time finally by the courts"
 Mir Fish again took up the argument contending 1t was the question of fix ing the price for the seller of goods.
 Mir. Jusserand, the French Ambassa- dor; Emile Heurteau of Paris. a mem Der of the permanent congress; Jean Kologrivoff, minister of communication, Russia and Wayne MacVeagh. also de- livered speeches.
 Previous to the banquet the sections of the congress accomplished their allotted days work and the delegates inspeched the new union station under construction here.