The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-12-14

ment regulation Of railroads ,an be
made successful.
Act 'of Last Congress.
The increased power5 ul the inter
state commerce commissOn given by
the act Of Tho last congress may g.
ford SOME relief It has nc yet had
time for demonstration It Is a tre-
mendole work If that commission
vigorously enfcrce the law II may
nnd faycr and AFFORD much relief But
If Il Is applied with ylgor ! anticipate
numerous federal CO. inipctions
against IT'S orders. TO Try them win
require time. Before the reasonable.
ness of the orders can be finally ass
ed upon irrcparable injury to shippers
and commerce may oc mr. If tfrt
poli.y toward It is pursued it will be
a loag time before relief can come
from that sorrce. Roosevelt. with a
l laster mind and hand, fOresaw so4ne-
thing must bc done. II was a tre-
mendous task to batter down the in
ilrence and power of corporate inter
ests which TO nd favor with the Re
publican -arty and Influenced it's great
leaders But the commercial interests
was demanding some relief II strong.
courageous men are kept on the com
mission. and thair actlons are not
negatived by applications OF the rail
roads to the courts for restraining
orders. the county may be cOntentci
But II the revcrse t-lIes place, then it
will not surprise me il Roosevelt does
not become the forerunner of Bryan
and a preparer OF the way for a diff
ferent solution Oi the transportation
question: Whsn our federal constitu-
tion was framed all means Of public
transportation and public highways
were reserved. and ! do not believe
that It was ever intended to confer
uron carriers of interstate commerce
the power to fix the rates for carriage,
when the carrier gets its exclusive
right to exist rnd operate from the
state. and when by the terms of it's
charter It has no right to collect ior
seryi es beyond its own line, and it's
own line Is confined to the Units of
tho state.
Confscatlons and Guarantee.
But why should the state fx rates
which will be a guarantee Of 6per cent
or any other per cent upon value be-
cause the corporation Is engaged as a
common carrier? May not rates high
enough to afford such a return amount
to a confscation of the products trans
ported to pay the cost of carriage?
And IS this question of conhscation to
be considered Only from the railroad
point of view? | think not But it
seems that the right of the producer
and shipper to a rae which viii not
amount 10 confscation OF his property,
appears never to have been rrged up
on the consideration Of the courts.
When the Texas commission was
herring a matter looking 10 the fixing
ct re- sonable rates for refrigerator
car and icing of fruits and vegetables
last year, returns on sales of peaches
shipped from Jacksonville, Texas. to
Chicago. Cleveland and Batmy revere
made 20 us. ! remember tnat IN one
report a car of Elberta peaches were
sold lor $3.50 lmd the shipper received
the small sum OF one dollar and fifty
cents as his returns ont Of the entire
amount, the balance. excepting about
twenty dollars, going to pay freight
and refrigeration This shows how
easy il is for the carrier to conhscate
the shippers property by the rate
charged for its transportation
Looking to Oklahoma.
We are looking to Oklahoma to deal