New-York tribune., 1905-02-27
railway companies. methods or to defects in the

railway companies methods to defects in the
THE POWER TO FIX RATES
Taking up the question OF the power to fix rates.
'hs president Of the Boston and Nains says:
The main point recommended by the President
ano now under consideration by Congress is that
the power TO fix rates, and as 70 this ! notice that
you follow the line of reasoning adopted by nearly
saying that TO power will h. gIvtn ITO x even one
single rate deG6iteiy nor TO toscr any rate what
ever OF its own MOTION and Oh is ovn initiative"
le commission now pcss esses full power to iuiti-
sIe. OF IT'S own motion an without extraneous in
Tenuve SuF procedure as to railway rates or reSG-
Mons lha II Geat3s eNpedient and md nowhere
{iI ln lI- iresuent rec0nmendsu2n or IN the
n!ls th3t are being discussed In Congress any pro
The power to x @ t,pI ,iit R nc 'isiT iei % or
regulation viii not give the cnfnuiSsan a further
poWer 10 make rates generally. and 30 the state
first f. W years If ts e8st6ncs the c5nnIs.i6 ala
MAIN aEf gsteS ana no @eTo'ls impairment of railway
4EIuerl tink as orc of the commissioners of the
chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission
ned 1e,f not infTelueut personal discussions at this
believe that the commission was lawfully endowed
that the commission afterward. and for several
lars, exercised mis- power without serious protest
Iron ne railways, although it il also true that they
were always advised by counsel that the commits
long IS The eilI - una , " hur 80
cases here and there ard not. a whole
in it's decision of rho rs m .rit vi ri, m
the Cincinnati ChaB,her Of 'ommere ag9nst tta s
Cincinnati. New Orleans and Texas PaciGc Pail
gnst III ousv ae1s !eSRf Sd fqrsa1 hrssa
Itallroad Company, It al t6 interstate Commerce
of Circnna ard 5c9g5 'S eSmHIained That 3'q t6e
rates on manufactured products from Chicago and
Cincinnati to points in Tennessee AIsharra Mis-
Fiss1pi and Georgia were unrea soma he .d dis
'Iiminaung as compared with the for like
articles shipped from New-Yorh aud New England
points. TIE c"mplaIntS covered I'll articles in the
SIX classes or tba Southern classification which six
classes included ail manufactured articles After
hearins. the commission made sweeping decree or
derlng the railroads not To- make rates from Cin-
.innau End Chicago to yaiious points in the South
IN excess of those contained i'm n table OF rates
which II prepared aud made part of ftr decree,
decision not onIy Ca7r m r, ratas 9a5a 1n5er IKE
SIX classes 81 toe Southern classification con-
trolling junction points in tte Southeast bur went
further and ordered tha raadiustirent Of all de-
pendent and collateral rate: - that compliance
win the decree would have forced reductions vary
li1 from ~ to p per cent in practically every rail-
road, rate from CircinhaG and Chicago 70 the
points. The railroads declined TO obey this whole
, 81 ana sweeping decree. and The case finally
Mr. Justice Brewer. that thu Interstate Coumerce
I9mmission had no power to such an order
can be exercised by the commission only 10 remedy
individual and sporadic injstiCes by regulating in
,lNiaual rates only. will take the trouble 10 nvas-
tgatr the details Gf mis- case they will find that
m IN ms instance the commission attempted to TX
pIag.lcaHN ali rates over large section of the
country and this. after hearing upon the com
pants OF two CONNER .lal bodies from cities.
namely. Shlcaso and Cincinnati Under the pro-
visions OF any OF the bills before Congress it
Would he within the power OF the commission do
6Cdy in New-YOrk might result in fixing practically
al az rates for very large portion Of the country.
contemplate eiVir4 to the commission general rate
making powers. all that can b. said is that the
commission viii not have the power 20 write out a
rate sheet in advance of "A hearing: but aside from
ms point ot not giving the commission the direct
commission 10 make the rates for the country
v nat happened in this Chicago and Cincinnati case
aSinary spectre