The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-05-22
.M|'C''U|.MBER GIVES
views upon
RATE BILL
Senate Has Put "Teeth in
Mouth and Claws on the
Feet" of the Same.
BY e. c. Snyder.

b ~
Washington. D. c., May Ex-senator
McCumber shortly after the rate bill
passed the senate was asked by the
Times correspondent to give state
ment OF his views Of the legislation
which the senate had enacted. The
Junior senator from North Dakota,
after due deliberation, gave your cor
respondent the following statement
embracing his views of the legisla-
ton on rate regulation just concluded
by the senate:
The senate. by its amendments, has
put teeth In the mouth and claws on
the feet of this rate bill, and in several
instances has cut the constitutional
cords In which it was entangled and
which would. in my opinion, certainly
; have strangled it.
AS this bill came from the house
It's structure clearly indicated legis-
lative intent to deprive citizen of his
right of access to the courts for full
and adequate protection of property
rights. 1t provided for review by
the courts, but restricted the courts
IN the remedy which they were author
lied to give. If the case was brought
into court by the commission, upon
refusal of . company to comply with
It's order, the only question which the
court was authorized to decide was
whether the order had been regularly
made and duly served?" The merits
could not be considered. The Allison
amendment cured some of the consti-
tutional objections. l am still very
doubtful if all have been cured.
The more important amendments
which have given strength and vitality
to the proposed legislation are the
Lodge amendment, which reinstates
the punishment by Imprisonment. as
well as fines, which had been repealed
by this legislation; the Elkins amend
ment which forbids common carriers
from engaging in interstate commerce
of their own products in competition
with the public, and the McCumber
amendment which strikes at the heart
OF the great trusts by compelling them
to pay to the government sum equal
to three times the amount of rebates
or the value of any special privilege
extorted by them from the railway
companies, allowing the government
to include in single action all such
sums OF privileges received during
period of six years
Inc presidents report shows that
the Standard Oil company alone has
exacted from the railway companies
rebates and special privileges amount
Ing to $75O.000 q year. II this great
trust corporation Is compelled to re-
fund for each years offenses, the sum
OF two and one-quarter million dollars
a year, the first recovery will forever
put an end to these attempts.
Like privileges have been extorted
BY the other great trusts, such as the
meat trust, the sugar trust, the steel
trust, and others.
1T is undoubtedly true that rail-
ways, in order to get business, have in
some instances offered rebates. But
In almost every case the rebate is ex-
torted by the powerful trust that it
may more easily crush Its rival.
we have brought private car lines
under control Of the, Interstate Com
merce commission, also express com
panies, and have broadened and
Strengthened and made the bill more
effective In many ways"