Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1906-03-05
.E|kiRs Amendment Shows
Sleeves Good Faith.
HOW TRUNK LINES STARVE
OUT THE TAB0OEO TOWNS
West Virginia Freeze-0ut Only One
Example Of Outrageous Rail-
way Discrimination.

Correspondence Morning Journal
Washington, Mar. There may
be those who think that Senator Eli
kns is too much of a corporation man
to be really interested in the control
of the railroo is to the benefit of the
shippers bu such people can look not
only to the Elkins law, so called, but
to the amendment he has prepared In
regard to the tributary roads as evil
dence to the contrary. The resolu-
ton in question will come up on the
floor of the senate as an amendment
to the pending rate bill and 1t touches
one of the most vital features of the
railroad situation. 1t may be quoted
almost fully such Is its Importance. 1t
says THAT carriers Of interstate COM
merce shall upon application put in
all necessary switches to meet tho
wants OF shippers, make prompt con-
nections and operating arrangements
with branch lines. reasonable and
! just division of through rates, and
make reasonable and just allowance to
! connecting, branch or lateral lines for
originating freight In the case of re-
fusal or failure on the part of SUCH
carrier to provide proper switches foe
shippers and to make proper and
suitable connections with connecting
lateral or branch lines, through rates
and division of the same and just ana
fair allowance for originating freight
operating and running arrangements.
the difference between the parties
shall be determined by the Interstate
commerce commission, and said car
rier shall abide by and carry into eff
feet the decision of the commission.
and falling SO to do. the commission
Is authorized to compel the carrier to
comply with its orders by proper pro-
ceedings In the circuit court of the
, United tSates situated In such dis
trict through which the carrier may
rum"
Shall the Trunk Lines Rule?
This provision is brought up partly
by the decision of the supreme court
in the case of the Chesapeake and
Ohio railway and partly by the COM
plant of the Red Rock Fuel Co. OF
West Virginia in connection with the
Baltimore and Ohio. The whole ques-
ton turns on the possibility of trunk
line road starving one community at
the expense of another and is thus of
interest to all parts of the United
States. 1t matters not what the COM
may be ore from the mines, timber
from the forests, oil or farm products.
The trunk line roads have In the past
found a very convenient method of
dealing with the shippers who threat
. ened to compete with the territory
they controlled.
They would first oppose putting In
, switches to connect a tributary line
with their own. II they were forced
to put in the switches they would fight
/, the smaller road on the question Of
, rates and pro-rating and the proper
compensation for the smaller road
: originating freight If all else failed,
they would refuse 10 supply the trih-
utary line with cars, and IL the later
al line had the money and the nerve
to put in rolling stock of It's own, the
trunk line would scatter 1t to- the
four winds of heaven so that the line
could not even get its own cars when
1t wanted them.
All this maze of discrimination
would he practsed not because the
trunk line did not want the business.
but because 1t knew IL II kept up the
fight long enough IL could starve the
small line and the territory II served
into submission and could eventually
gobble not only the line but the mines.
the timber, the ore and the other
commodities It transported. The OBJ
tpet of the amendment to the Hepburn
BIN is to correct this state Of affairs.
It Is an essential amendment to the
n bill and one that Is thoroughly In line
D with the presidents policy. II will be
urged on the floor of the senate and
\ II all goes well will be adopted. This
4has the decision Of the supreme court
9 in advance to back IL up, and while
J. II is an amendment that will go hard
= with a nxmhpr of the trunk lines II Il
n one so obviously fair that It can hard,
= ly be opposed by the railroads with
II any nnqpf