The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-11-02
Complete TIUsfration.

Complete Illustration
WASHINGTON, Nov 2-0f-
fcIals Of the Department OF Justice
lare Veryswe satisfied with the fines
of 100000 on the New York Cen-
trail RAILROAD and $4,000 on ~ II
Pomeroy, Its general traffic man-
lager, for granting rebates to the
sugar trust on Shipments to Detroit.
The man who has the most reason
TO be pleased with this result how
ever is Senator Eldns Of West VnE
g1nia. for it Is a complete Wndica.
ton of the efficiency Of the Blkins
law. The ofense involved in tins
case were committed before the Hep
burn law was enacted and the in
| dictments were found and the con-
nctfons obtained under the Elkins
act.
The agitation inlfaYor of addition
al railroad legislation that led to
the enactment of the Hepburn law
was based almost entirely upon q
wholesale public opinion against
inst such acts as the New York Cen-
trail and It's traffic manager have
been found guilty Of IN this case
Small shippers and consumers inter
ested in fostering competition were
properly made indignant by the
know1edge that great corporations
such as the sugar Trust, BY Threaten
ing to divert their traffic to other
routes. could force the railroads to
give them secret preferential rates or
Ito discriminate IN their favor in
other ways The knowledge that
such things were being done led
President Roosevelt to recommend
Ito Congress legislation that would
keep the highways Of commerce open
Ito all on equal terms.
Singular as itmayseem the Inter
Istate Commerce Commission and
Ifhe Department Of Justice had both
6yeriooked The fact that all thatlwas
NEEDED to- insure perfect equality OF
treatment on the highways of com-
merc va the enforcement of the
EXT actFhat had then been on the
Statute books for two years and that
provided for the imposition of heavy
penalties both on tie giYer and the
beneficiary Of a rebate OF other DIS
lcrimination. 1t was not until some
of the distinguished lawyers who
testified before the Senate commit
ltae on I~nterstate Commerce last
year had declared that the Blklns
liaw was broad enough to reach and
punish transportation discriminaT
tons Of all kinds that any serious ell
Hort was made to enforce it.
When these opinions came 70 tIe
attention of President Roosevelt ne.
nave orders for the enforcement oil
he law. The Department of JUS
/ lice. the Bureau Of Corporations,
and the Interstate Commerce ON
mission all went to work with the
result that violations of the law were
discovered. indictments were tound
and convictions are being obtained
lust as fast as the courts can aus
| nose of the case. all OF the many
indictments and convictions Q re-
batinp within the past few months
haze been obtained under the Blklns
law and they show that the Senator
from West Virginia, in drawing
+bat law and getting it on the
staf1lte books, has placed 1T IN z
mower Of the executive branch OF the
Government to punish severely any
railroad company or railroad Oh
fetal granting a rebateor other als
| cimination to a shipper and also 70
nnnish a shipper accepting such q
favor. Senator Elkins has ac-
complished more than this re
has put an end to rebates and dls-
examinations of I'LL kinds, for as
soon as 1t became known that the
Elkfns law was 10 be enforced these
evils 3 brought to N abrIlPf
stop. and the most diigent seagcl
81 the officials Of The administration
has failed to reveal single onsl
That has occurred since ralroaa
lfcials and shippers realized ny
they were IN danger of the penaIEees
LOT that
Even beforathe admlulS
TOOK M the enforcement o.
Ell1ns Law all along tie ines
vsINa had been recognized
legal advisers shippers ~
There throughou
Eiiiustfafious 0f this
fha 49, in West Ynia psa3
eonpI6int3
sTs diseTif
s5sI
heard
rGdI