Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-26
PLEADS FOR CONTROL
Commissioner Prouty Says Rail
road Laws Are Unjust to
the Masses
NEED OF CHANGE IN LAW
Says Lines Should be Forced to seeI
Transportation at Reasonable
Prices-Difference Between Rail-
roads and Other Business Enterpris-
cs in America.
cs in America.

cS IN America.
Boston, Mass, Jan. 26.-In an adj
dress before the Lumbermen's Asso-
citation last night, Interstate Commerce
Commissioner Charles A. Prouty made
strong plea for federal regulation OF
freight rates, and nayed the railways.
He said:
Not long ago | read In some Boston
paper, with great interest, some re-
marks of Mr.. futile, the president of
the Boston and Main railroad, to his
trainmen. l know Mr. futile and nave
the greatest respect for him as man
and a railroad manager. He has a
faculty OF saying what he actually
thinks. and he said on this occasion
what most opponents of railroad reg
ulation really assume but do not plain
~ state. The substance of 1T was this:
1.-The transportation which the Bos-
ton and Maine has to sell is as much
a commodity as the cotton cloth which
the Manchester mills have to sell, and
the government has no more right to
fix the price of one commodity than
the other. While 1t may seem little
like inquiring whether the world is
round or fiat, l wish to glance for a
minute at the Illustration used by Mr..
futile.
The Manchester mills, in the man
ufacture of their product. employ water
power and require land for their build
ings. l have water power or piece OF
land which one of these mills desires
to use. Can l be compelled to sell it to
that mill? Most certainly not. But il
Mr.. Tuttle's road desires to use my
land or my water power in it's bust
ness he can take it. no matter now
strong my personal objection.
why is this? For the obvious reas-
on that Mr.. futile is engaged in a
public business and may appropriate
my property for the public good. The
right, however, to appropriate my prop
erty I'm the construction of road is
upon the condition that he shall render
to the public the service of transpQrta-
tion for a reasonable price. He is COM
PEELED in taking my land to pay me it's
value.
Board Should Fix Rates.
IF he and l cannot agree on that
value. the question is submitted to
board of arbitrators, and by their de-
cision must abide. So after road is
constructed. If he and I do not agree,
as to what is reasonable rate for the
transportation of my self or my prop
erty, that question in the same way
oh, 4, Ax
arbitration, and the decision of those
arbitrators should govern.
There is still another reason for
this. If / should hire a cab at Mr.
Tuttles railroad station to take me to
my hotel, an ordinance of the city OF
Boston prescribes the maximum fare
which that cabman may charge. The
cabman owns the horse and he owns
the cab, and why should the city of
Boston limit his right to receive from
me whatever he can get?
OBVIOUSLY, once, more, because when
/ leave Mr.. Tuttle's train in search
of a carriage l have no time to look
about 1 must take the first one which
offers and in order to protect me from
the possible extortion Of the cabman
the city establishes the price. The
cabman is not obliged to devote his
property to that use, but if he does it is
under that limitation.
"The interstate commerce commits
sion has been shorn by judicial inter-
probation of every power but one. Con-
corning the dealings Of the railroad
with the public, it has the right to in
vestigate, and that right has been
cIJCtainn6 INV hn f0 ha
last degree.
1T can call before it any railroad
official, it can compel the production
of his books and papers, it can force
him to open his mouth and state what
he has done. ought to add that when
criminal violation of law has been
discovered, the commission has no
power to prosecute; it can only lay
the facts before the department of JUS
tice.
"GoId Bricks" to Lawmakers.
There is one further observation Of
profound consequent to the public gem
orally which Wish to make. Distrust
the Greeks even when they bring you
gifts said the wise man of ancient
Troy. This bill and any bill from that
source is a wooden horse. When the
present act to regulate commerce was
enacted eighteen years ago much the
same conditions prevailed as today.
The public demanded legislation. and
it became evident that this public de-
mand must be yielded to.
Then appeared the same horde Of
railroad presidents, and railroad libby
lists, and railroad attorneys that sur
round the ca-itol today, ard the re-
suit was that they managed t. write
into that bill dozen inoffensivs look
ing phrases which have rendered every
substantial provision abortive.
Let not the men who for eighteen
years have lefied this law and success
fully resisted all attempts to correct
it now write its amendment. The in
terests Of the public and tie railway
should be alike conserved, but some
fair measure of regulation should be
enacted which car. if applied regulate
In fact as we'll as in theory.