Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1905-11-02
A SQUARE DEAL
President Stickney of the G. g. w. Ry Addresses
the Roosevelt Club at St. Paul on the
Railroad Rate Question.

''Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the
Roosevelt Club of ST Paul: In order to
understand the attitude of the president
in regard to legislation relating to rail-
way rates, the present system of COM
petitive rates and the effects of the sys-
TEN must be understood
1T is we'll known that ever since COM
petitive railways have existed the actual
competitive rates have been made by the
rebate system.
THE rebate system consists in collect.
ing from all shippers exactly the same
full tariff rates. The shipments are billed
and entered OH the books OF both the
forwarding station and on the books OF
And these full rates are collected and
the money is RENTED to the treasury OF
the company. And so far as the accounts
and records at both the forwarding and
receiving stations-which are the only
records which are by any means acces-
sible to the shippers-and SO far as the
knowledge of the .a station agents f goes rst
rates on terms of exact equality. In
no other way can the necessary secrecy
be maintained. Later, IL portion OF the
money thus collected sometimes per
cent sometimes 10 per CENT and some
times as much as 80 per cent, is secretly
returned to some of the shippers put not
to ALL And those who receive rebates
do not necessarily get the same percent
age
Mr. Stickney proceeded to show that
prior to the establishment of the Inter-
state commerce commission all the small
shippers had been driven out of business
by the enormous rebates given to the
large shippers in some cases exceeding
| 60 per cent of the total charges;
The Intention Was Good.
The interstate commerce law, enacted
| in 1897, was designed to correct the evlls
growing out of the system of making
rates by rebates. The chairman of the
senate committee. in explaining the bill
when it was introduced in the senate
| said:
| 1.-THE provisions of the bill are based
| upon the theory that the paramount evil
| chargeable against the operations Of the
States, as now conducted, is unjust dis
termination The underlying purpose
| and aim of the measure is the prevention
| of these determinations.
The law has been amended and as it
! now stands, stripped OF all Its Verblase'
| it prOvidcs
That the railway companies alone shall
| make the rates.
That schedules of such rates shall be
| printed and published.
That as long as such schedules are in
force neither more nor less than Such
| rates shall be collected.
That such rates shall remain in force
and cannot lawfully be advanced until
ten days after, nor lowered until three
DAYS after new schedules are printed and
| published; and
That the failure of the railway COM
| pany to strictly observe such rates snail
be misdemeanor, punishable by fine
of not less than $1,000 or more than
$40. 900 for each offense.
1t also makes it n msdemcanor for
any citizcn-using the language of the
law-'to solicit. accept or receive any re-
bate. concession or discrimination in re-
spect to the transportation of any prop
erty whereby any such property shall by
any device be transported at less rate
than that made in the tariffs published
and filed by the railway company" pun
ishable by like fine OF not less than
$1,000 or more than $20.O0n.
Railways Big Advantage.
1t is true that the law provides that the
rates thus made by the railway com
panies shall be reasonable and Just, -
but, whether reasonable or unreasonable
until the court decides that a rate is un-
reasonable it is Il misdemeanor Tor &
citizen ito solicit, accept or receive any
rebate, concession or discrimination
whereby. his property shall by any de
vice be Transported at less than the pub
Experience has proven that this genera
proposition, that all rates shall be rea
sonable and Just ,t enforceable io only by
During the thirty years in which the
subject of reasonable rates has been il
controversy in this state | can recall bu
one case in which a citizen has had thu
tcmerity to invoke the courts to enforce
the law. The case was carried from
court to court on appeals by the railway
, company and was finally decided in thu
| citizens favor by the supreme court o
the United States just five years after tn
: first trial. The amount involved was ex
actly 43 cents.
When we consider that the whole vas
> revenues of railways are collected il
petty amounts varying from % cents t
4 more than 500, it will be readily seei
, that no one individual would ever b.
, likely to have enough at stake to justif.
r a contest with a railway company.
= Everybody Is Mulcted.
Railway transportation enters into an
becomes a part of everything. 1t is pai
e for not by the shippers or receivers, bu
and how much is paid. When one buy
d food or clothing he pays railway trans
:, portation. When one buys theate
S ticket employs a doctor lawyer. @
|. pays rent, he pays railway transporta
ton. In short, it permeates everything
and, like the air we breathe no one ca
| refuse railway TRANSFORMATION and live.
Stating the gist of the law in Il nut
shell, the railway companies have an al
solute monopoly in it's production. an
= under the law fix the price upon tina
which they alone can produce and whic
every living man must consume, and tn
!. law makes it msdemeanor for the cor
| sumner to kick. Is this Il square deal?
y Theodore Roosevelt says il is not
, | square deal. Gov. Cummins who is her
tonight says it is not ii square deif
l. ard every fair-mndcd man Will say II
Z II is wrong in pr:ncinle, but rs long =
g, there are many competitive railways 1t
y Of little practical importance b.caus
5 But in twenty wears possibly IN te
W | years there will be few, if any, compel
-, tive railways, and it therefore become
q important, while We can, to establish II
IS | correct principle in the law, becaus
| when all the railways of the COUNT
Il are brought under one control. havir
le hundreds of thousands Of voters who AZ
:, | employees, having absolute power to r.
I'll ward and punish suhserviency on II
&c part of all occupations. and having. q
:, Unlimited "yallar dog fund, the abili'
u of the then congress to establish the co
rect nrinciple may well be doubted.
Law Not Enforced.
MI, ;,+o-ct,to commerce law had boz