The Cairo bulletin., 1905-12-06


cessity for giving the commission OF
administrative body the other powers
| ave enumerated above, and ii may
well be inadyisable to attempt TO vest
this particular power in the commits
sion or other administrative body unit
it already possesses and is exercising
what | regard as by far the most i'm
portant Of all the powers ! recommend
as indeed the vitality important pow
er-that TO fix a given maximum rate
which rate after tie lance Of . yeasnn,
/ aoe ume goes INTO full effect suDJecl
to review by the co9rts.
Private Car Lines.
All private car lines, industrial roads
refrigerator charges ana the like
should be expressly put under the su-
pcryision Of the interstate commerce
commission or some similar body So
! far as rates and agreements practical
1 W affecting rates are concerned The
/ private car owners ana the owners Of
industrial railroads arc entitled to a
/ fair and reasonable compensation on
/ their Investment, but neither private
cars nor industrial railroads nor spur
| tracks should be utilized MS devices for
securing preferential rates, 4 rebate
IN icing charges or in mileage or in q
division of the rate for reffigerating
charges Is just as pcrnicious as a re-
bate in any other way. No lower rate
should apply on goods imported than
actually obtains on domestic goods
from the American seaboara to desti
nation except in cases where water
competition IS the controlling influence
There should be publicity Of the ac-
counts of common carriers. No com
mon carrier engaged in interstate bust
ness should keep any books ca memo
randa other than those reported pur-
suant 10 law or regulation, and these
books or memoranda should be open to
the inspection of the government Only
in this way can violations or eyasions
Of the law be surely detected. \ sys-
TEN of examination of railroad ac-
counts should be provided similar to
that now conducted into the national
banks by the bank examiners. A few
first class railroad accountants. if they
had proper direction and proper au
thOrity to inspect books and papers.
could accomplish much in preventing
willful violations Of the law 1t would
not be necessary for them to examine
into the accounts Of any railroad unless
for good reasons they were directed to
do so by the interstate commerce com
mission. 1t is greatly to be desired
that some way might be found by
which an agreement us TO Transporter
ton within a state intended TO operate
as a fraud upon the federal interstate
commerce laws could be brought under
the jurisdiction of the federal authori-
ties. At present it occurs that large
shipments of interstate traffic are con
troled by concessions on purely state
business, which Of course amounts to
an evasion Of the law. The commits
sion should have power to enforce fair
treatmeHt by the great trunk lines of
lateral and branch lines.
l urge upon the congress the need of
for expeditions action by the
Interstate commerce commission in all
these matters whether in regulating
rates for transportation or for storing
or for handling property or oommodi- !
ties In transit The history Of the cases |
under the present commerce |
act shows that its efficacy has been |
to a great degree destroyed by the !
weapon Of delay, almost the most |
formidable weapon in the hands Of |
those whose purpose il is to violate the
law.
No Hostility 20 Railroads.
Let me most earnestly say that these
are not made in any
spirit Of hostility 10 the railroads. On
ethical grounds, on grounds of right,
such hostility would be intolcrable. and
on grounds of mere national self inter
est we must remember that such hos
tility would tell against the welfare
not merely of some few rich men, but
of a multitude Of small Investors, Il
OF railway employees, wage
workers, and most severely against the
interest Of The public as a whole be-
Iicye that on the whole our railroads
have done well and moi III, but The
railroad men who wish to do wen
should not be exposed 10 competition
with those who have no such desire,
and The only way TO secure this end is
10 give 90 some government tribunal
he power 10 see that justice is done
by the unwilling exactly Us it is gladly
lone by the willing. Moreover, if some
government body is given increased
power tile effect will be 10 furnish au
horitatiye answer on behalf Of tho
railroad whenever irrational clamor
against il is raised or whenever
,hargcs made against it are dispr0ved.
ask This legislation not only ia the
interest Of the public. but I'm the inter
st Of the honest railroad man and The
ionest shipper alike. for it is they who
ire chiefly jeoparded by the practices
IF their dishonest competitors. This
eCislation should be enacted IN spir-
{ as remote as possible from hystcria
md rancOr II we Of The American
1Ody polite are true 10 the traditions
We have inherited we shall always
corn any effort 10 make US hate any
nan because he is rich. just as much
IS we should scorn any effort to make
IL look down upon or treat cautemptu-