The Grenada sentinel., 1906-10-06
PROTESTING
CALL LATEST RULING OF COM.
MERGE COMMISSION UNFAIR.
RAIL ROAD ADS ARE BARRED
Say There Is Nothing in the Law That
Calls for Such an Interpretation
The Commission Flooded
with "kicks."

Washington, Sept. 2S.-The recent
ruling of the interstate commerce
commission to the effect that moth
ing but money can be paid for trans
| portation of either persons Of prop
| erty,' means that in future the rail
roads will be prohibited from ex-
changing transportation for advertis-
ing space in the newspapers of the
country.
The ruling has already aroused
storm Of protest from the publishers
throughout the country. Every mail
into Washington brings hundreds OF
letters from newspaper men, all of
which severely criticize the commits
sion for going out of its way to hit
the newspapers The publishers in
sist that there is nothing new in the
law which would in any way forbid
the railroads from purchasing adve.-
tising space to be paid for in trans
pOrtatiOn, and that such a ruling is
not only uncalled for by either the
letter or the spirit of the law, but is
unconstitutional as we'll.
Antagonstic to Constitution.
One prominent publisher said a day
or two ago:
There is not only nothing in th6
new rate law which would call for
such ruling as this from the com
mission, but the ruling is antagonistic
to the national constitution as we'll, |
and it will not be upheld by the !
courts. The railroads that desire pub |
lication make avdertising contracts |
with me, and pay me for the space |
used with transportation, which is the |
same as money to me, and it is used |
by myself or my employees in cOnnec-
ton with my business. The govern
ment might with equal justice say the |
merchant could not give dry goods
or any other marketable commodity in
exchange for advertising space. The |
courts would not uphold such a ruling
as that for one moment, and there is
no more reason why they should up
hold this latest erration of the COM
merce commission, for it is equally as
untena5le as the proposition between
the publisher and the merchant would
be.
Everybody knows that the rail
roads do, and can afford to, advertise
more heavily when their advertising
accounts can be paid for in transpor-
tatiOn. Nor does this increased
amount of advertising affect the in
terests of the general public in any
h1f If dOnc occict II, oil ha |
prosperity of the American newspa-
pers and periodicals. The transporta-
tion that is given to newspapers in
exchange for advertising does not af-
feet in any way the equitable enforce
ment of the rate law, nor does it
affect in any way the rates charged
the general public for transportation
for either persons or property. 1t is
a benefit to the railroads, in that it
enables them to do greater amount
of advertising than they otherwise
could or would do, and in this way
secure a greater amount of business .
for their lines, and under a just in
depreciation would eventually lead to
a reduction of transportation charges
to the general public. 1t is an unjust
and uncalled for ruling, and both the
publishers and the railroads should
tight it,
That publishers are fighting it, not /,
)nly by their protests to the commits ..
sion, but by protesting to their repre- /,
;entatives in both houses of congress,
S proven by the fact that already the
commission is receiving communica-
ions from many senators and con-
,ressmen in which these representa-
ives of the people declare they had
10 intention of passing law that t
would affect the newspapers in this i
way, and that there is nothing in the j
lew law which calls for such a ruling t
IN the part of the commission. b