The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-12-28
FROM WASHINGTON, Dc.
Interesting Weekly Letter
ora Political Nature.
BY our Regular Correspondent


Quite the most serious problem
before the administration and the
country at the present moment is
that of the car shortage now prin-
cipally affecting the north west.
The Interstate Commerce Com
mission is dealing with the situa-
ton as we'll as it can, but lacks
the power to step in and manage
the property of the railroads, its
functions being limited to decis-
ions as to the justice of railroad
rates. In this connection, however
there is a very serious problem.
The President recognizes what the
shortage of cars means to the
whole country and especially to
the northwest. He has therefore
seriously considered the step OF
vesting the Interstate Commerce
Commission not only with au-
thority for fixing railroad rates,
but also managing their property
in case of public emergency. A
bill comforting this authority upon
the Commission in addition to its
present regulating power had
been drawn by Judge Cowen,
Counsel for the Texas cattle rails
.ers association, who had a good
deal to do with shaping the
present rate law. This bill Is now
being considered by the COM
mission with a view to return
ing it to the President with their
opinion preparatory to his SUBJ
hitting either this or a modified
measure to congress.
This situation is suspected in q
good many quarters but has re-
-ceived no official confirmation and
a good many of the leaders in
Congress would give something to
know that it is actually o 1t is
So, but mutually the Commission
does not dare to confirm the fact.
The pressing nature of the car
shortage has been brought to the
attention of the President by
Senator Hansborough and a num-
Der of other senators and rep
resentatives and a flood of letters
and kilograms from the afflicted
districts. kilograms have been
sent by the Interstate Commerce
Commission to the Presidents OF
six of the big transcontinental
roads asking them to do all in
their power to break the freight
blocade and get fuel and provis.
ions to the communities thai
are actually suffering for lack o.
them. Replies have been received
to all of these messages stating
that the condition is one which
arises every year, but this year il
a little 0 aggravated in form
The railroad presidents say tina
the situation is not the fault of tn
roads, but of the communitie
which failed to lay in supplies fs
the winter before the present con
gestion of traffic became acute
They say, also, that the shortag
of cars is'not their fault, that the,
have bought as many cars as tn
factories can turn out and in mos
leases have more cars than tn
milage of their roads a accom-
modate, and that they would b
glad to build more track an
larger terminal facilities, but the
cannot buy the material nor hir
the labor to do it. They say the
have the money but simply can
not get the men and the rails.
The other side to this story
told by the Commission and man
of the suffering shippers. The
say that the railroads in favorin
the big shippers allow them
turn the cars into warehouses an
sell coal, lumber and other con
modities direct from the ca
standing on the side track, roat
which might do a large throue
business with their own rollir
stock are afraid to let their ov
cars pass beyond the line of the
own roads owing to the difficult
about getting them back. Thu
force the unloading of their ca
at the terminals of their own ro'
and th;s takas time and increas