Middletown transcript., 1906-05-26
: WASHINGTON LETTER

1 ~ S'B Huoy AOob1 AUOO'
For a time at least, the Senate is done
! with the Rate Bill. The final vote on
the bill has not yet been taken, but the
Allison Amendment has been incorpor-
ated in it, and the suspicious words Gin
their Judgment" which alluded to the
| Interstate Commerce Commission, have
been stricken out by a large majority. So
| it looks as though there would be no cloud
on the C, n;titutionality of the bill as it
will ultimately be passed. The question
able words were contained in the original
Hepburn Bill, but it was agreed that
while they might possibly vitiate its con-
stitutionality, they could add nothing to
its effectiveness. They were therefore
eliminated. There is still some question
among the varions autl critics as to how
wide q review the Allison amendment
will really amount to. The chances are
that it will prove tolerably sweeping.
But if the courts are honest, and it is to
be presumed that they are, there can be
no objection to court review of the find
ings of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion.
~
There is good deal of sting in the
come back OF the Commissioner of Cor
porations at the Standard Oil Company
and the railroads that he had accused of
bad faith, rebating and other things in
connection with the transportation of oil.
Mr.. Garfield says in letter to the Presi-
dent on the subject, that the criticisms OF
the railroads and of the Standard Oil Of
fetal as to his report are all of them
groundIess and that they dodge the real
issue. He does not brand them all as
deliberate and malicious liars," as did
Senator Bailey in calling down certain
correspondents in the Senate. But he
prodLces few facts that have almost the
same effect. He says that the investiga-
tion disclosed humorous and fragrant
violations Of the law and determinations
10y the railroads in favor of the Standard
Oil Company" He says that the Stan
dard Oil Company, despite the denial OF
of its officials, has been given absolutely
unassaiable ard nonopolistic control of
the oil market. He points out some of
the Determinations as follows: Secret and
semi-secret rates, discrimination in the
open arrangement of rates, discrimination
in classification and rules of shipment and
the discrimination in the treatment of
private tlnk cars. He says that unfair
ness obviously is not necessary when the
Standard ships at the higher and the in
dependent at the lower rate. A sample |
of this is in the shipment of oil in bulk |
and in barrels. The tank cars used by |
the Standard where they do not use pipe |
lines are returned to them free of charge. |
The smaller producer who has to ship his
oil i'll barrels because he does not own
tank cars, is charged the same freight on
the barrels as on the oil, which amounts
to nearly 25 per cent. discrimination
against him, and lie is forced to pay
the same freight on the return of his bar
rels if heis not able to sell them at the
end of the run, SO that the discriinina-
tion in freight charges really amounts
to so per cent. on this count alone.
The reply of the Standard Officials is
that the small producer should own
bis own tank cars, as the Standard
does. But if he does, he very soon finds
that the railroads have ways of landing
his cars in San Francisco when he wants
them in New York