The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-17
REGULATING RAILROAD RATES.

control of the railroads is doubtless distasteful to a majority Of the Ameri- can people, because 1t is contrary to the original spirit of our government. beyond a doubt, but the following from The New York Post shows why such a proposition may be popular in some quarters:
 "The arguments against further ex- tending the Federal power In this di- rection are cogent; but the testimony Commerce Commission shows why it falls on deaf ears. On Thursday, for example, an official of the Northern Pacific said that the Armour Company certain route, whereas the actual cost ranged from $1.10 to $1.75. Yesterday a witness, formerly in the employ or the Armours. gave interesting details about a system of secret rebates to favored shippers and about the code words, such as "lavelle-rebate must be confidential" It is all very well to say that these evils can be cured by the enforcement of existing laws. That plea moves only men who have grasp of the large principles of law ana government; The rarm'er rt'n ordar or tne ininsl % tice replies bluntly that the ev1ls nave grown up under the present laws; ana he isftherefore ready to try something new. II IS HIS him ready to support any project, how ever wild, that promises him redress He is for hitting the first head that he sees. The agitation againss sne really started and carried on Dy the railway operators themselves-tne men who are guilty of that wrongdo- ing which fills every honest man with wrath.
 Is 1t not a fact that some of the roads. or those who control them. are giving the strongest arguments for Federal control and supervision? When a great corporation like the Armours can thus hold up the shippers and lit- orally rob them need we wonder If those who are thus Died should favor putting the matter into different hands? Iced cars," as they are termed. have become one of the necessities of trade in this country. The shipment of the immense crops of perishable fruits and vegetables would be almost impossible but for refrigerator cars, but this is a comparatively small mat ter compared to the immense demand for such cars for the transportation of meats, butter, eggs and dressed gamc and poultry which could not pos sibly be transported across the country in ordinary freight cars.
 It is because A few of these great corporations have the farmers. butch CTS and small shippers by the throat, and can demand and obtain their own rates for icing cars, that we hear so much about government ownership. And it is for the same reason that those who oppose Federal control are in favor of giving the Interstate Com merce Commission power to abate these evils. It is useless to say that we now have laws which would sup press the discriminations of which there is such just complaint because, as The Post observes, these evils have grown up and now exist and flourish under existing laws. If the laws have not been enforced in the past. and if they are not enforced now, what hope is there that it will be done in the future? Who is to do 1t?
 The Advertiser has never been an advocate of the Populistic or Socialistic cry of government ownership of pub lie utilities" Every advance in Fed eral control of private or State affairs is but another step away from pure Democracy and in the direction of monarchy or a monarchial form of government = The ancient fable of the camel which was allowed to put its nose in the Arabs tent and afterwards followed 1t up with his entire body was not a bad conception. It is the gradual encroachment of the general government on the rights and liberties of the States and the people that has been dreaded from the time of Jeffer- son. and it is a danger which Is always present.
 And yet. when we look at the matter from the side of the people 1t is plain that things cannot go on forever as they are doing. It is equally plain that unless there is some power to check the exactions of certain corpora lions they will grow more and more yoracious as time passes until they will absolutely control all railroad' traffic and make such terms as best suit their own interests. If present laws will not give relief, and Congress will not lodge power somewhere to regulate rates, the demand for govern ment ownership will grow until it will be resistIess. Whether that will be the lesser evil remains to be seen