The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-09-05
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. ), 1906.
THE RAILROAD RATE LAW.

THE RAILROAD RATE LAW.
Perhaps no single piece Of legisla.
ton has for a. long period OF time
been of such vital public interest to
all classes Of people as the Hepburn
rate bill, which has just gone into
effect, and which was passed by the
recent session OF congress and signed
by President Roosevelt a few days be-
fore adjournment.
For the past two years the attention
Of the entire country has been conferred
on this legislation, due largely to the
leadership OF President Roosevelt.
But while the president has been
strongly in favor of the measure, it
was by no means a partizan bill.
When the first vote was taken ia the
house of representatives it passed by
practically q unanimous vote. The
measure then vent to the senate, where
It had a hard time to get through.
There were amendments and counter
amendments, and after the bill had
been SEN back to the house, there
were several conferences before it was
finally agreed upon and submitted to
the president for his signature.
Writing in the Review of Reviews
the Hon. g. A. Prouty, one Of the
members Of the interstate commerce
commission, and who is regarded as
possibly the leading authority on rate
making, says:
"By far the most important and
radical provision OF the Hepburn bill
was that investing the interstate com.
merce commission with rate making
authority. This bill, as il passed the
house, did not confer authority to
make the interstate rates of this coun.
try generally, but did provide that in
case OF complaint against q specific
rate or practice the commission might,
after hearing the parties, prescribe in
its judgment the rate or practice which
should be observed by the carriers for
o limited time"
The effects of the bill will be grad.
ual, if the commissioner sees Alright.
He says:
mo sudden or startling result of
any sort will follow. Considerable
time will be required to put many OF
Its provisions into effect, notably
those Of the 10Th section with respect
to the keeping of accounts. The bene.
fit Of this act will consist more 10 what
1t prevents than in what it corrects.
Assuming that the courts sustain it's
main provisions, and that its enforce.
ineut is reasonably effective, it may
be expected.
~. For the last few years railway
rates have been advancing; from now
on the tendency will be the other way.
This will be due, not TO any extensive
or sweeping reductions ordered by the
commission, but rather to the fact
that the railways themselves, having
knowledge that the reasonableness OF
their action may be challenged, will
: Y IC ouN 0uCCS WHICH
they otherwise would, and will gran,
the demands Of shippers for reduc.
lions which they otherwise woald not.
so. The payment Of rebates and the
granting of similar concessions from
the published tariff will, in the main,
cease. Rebates will never entirely
stop so long as competition continues,
but they will become rapidly less, and
in 10 years from now that sort of dis.
elimination will be as rare as it was
universal 10 years ago.
Sd. Determinations between locali.
ties will largely continue, and this will
be !he most fruitful source of com.
plant in time to come. II is difficult
to zee, however, how mach discrimiua.
t!ons al be altogether avoided, IN.
less our waterways are to be shut up
and the benefit OF geographical posi-.
ton entirely ignored.
while President Roosevelt de.
serves the entire credi. for initiating
the movement, he would have been
powerless but for the peoples support.
The enactment Of the rate bill is the
peoples declaration that railways
must submit to governmental control,
and that certain abuses must stop. II
the railways recognize this, il they co.
operate, as there Is every reason to
believe they will, to obtain a compli.
ance with the spirit OF this law. con.
di.ions will be fairly satisfactory:
otherwise, there will be renewed agita.
ton, followed by more drastic legis.
lation."