Bisbee daily review., 1905-11-30
CONTROL OF RAILROADS.
Gigantic Struggle Between Corpora
 tIOns and People.

ctrnkkAC DCt"CtA NoEPoN1~
 tiOns and People.
 The census bureau has ascertained that the value of all the railroads is Sl1, 1,24i, ,SJ2, ,0OO. and it is conceded that nine-tenths Of this eleven billions Is controlled by niue men. IL is but natu- ral to believe. even if there was no ev- idence, that these nine railroad kings combine together to protect the inter- ests of the railroads and charge for transporting freight and passengers all they can force out of the people. They are charged with controlling congress and legislatures and thus securing or defeating legislation that aids or in- lures them. The universal demand for law tO control the rates charged by these corporations is proof that in most cases the rates are deemed unreasona- ble A shipper has still no redress but through the common law, and how can any single shipper fight the millions of a railroad, with all the delays and ex- pense, through to the highest court:
 An aggrieVed shipper can refuse to ship his goods at the rate demanded and then sue the railroad for damages or he can pay the rate demanded under protest and sue for a recovery of the amount he claims is unreasonable. Leaving out the question of expense of securing lawyers able to cope with the high paid and experienced railroad at tOrneys. the time of the shipper alone is usually worth more to him than he could possibly recover. So the rail- roads are virtually thus free to charge all the traffic will bear" which means in extreme cases something less than confscation of the goods shipped
 A shipper. under the interstate com meTce law, can appeal to the interstate commerce commission that a rate charged him by a railroad is unreason- able, and, after hearing the evidence on both sides, the commission can de clare the rate unreasonable. What then happens? Does the railroad re- turn the overcbarge or Oven reduce the rate to what 1he commission decides would be a reasonable rate? Occasion ally the evidence produced has been so overwhelming that the rate is uIrea- sonable and public opinion in the To- cality or on the line of railroad has been so aroused that the railroad off cials comply with the ruling of the commission and reduce the rate par tially, but rarely or never to the rate declared to be reasonable.
 The discussion now going on about giving the interstate commerce com mission power to enforce rate it has decided would be reasonable in place of one that has been declared unreaSon- able is 10 force congress to pass law that will protect the public from unrea- sonable rate Of course the railroads are vigorously objecting and will use every effort to prevent such a fair and equitable adjustment of their auto cratic powers.
 The Republican leaders in congress are under so many obligations to the railroads for passes and contributions to campaign funds to carry szzz tions and elections that the voters csN. expect no legislation that will really control the rate making power from the congress about to meet. The real struggle will come when the Sixtieth congress is nominated and elected in 1906, and as the nominations in many districts are made in the early spring voters will have to be alert and pre- pared to grapple with the octopii-the Republican politicians and their rall- road co-conspirators.