The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-05

a New England ,heyretuse, Of certain
4 railway systems TO prorate has re-
u shifted In keeping the Standard gu, III
absolute tnonupolistic control Of the
jield, enabling II to charge from three
10 four hunltea Thousand aoll a. Il, \
tS III New England than they would
4 laSs had to pay had the price w!i,d
been that Obtaining Ill the -Coihpeti-
tive fields. This Is q cliartcteriSue
example of the numerous evils when q,
which tho hts shipper ana the r,ii,
road are lefs tsSSa to crush out az
4 ina.Sias.al initiative ara al irowcr ct
irse,.e,ttes.t aeisest Ss>cs&se OF nis
absence et s,Sseans:s and shsreMsR'.
seitss sssses:,sssatsl cSNf:srW, sS ia.ss
rars 4. Tie West ana SouthWsst.
THIS slsesssasIas frss.sassee sSsiuiiiiiss
thu sss. .S,s. shs ssrarsina 70 tue
3 oevsrrsrrsns q tse rSsMsT 70 sunsu.
tue q r-asnr tar aae ir's,FSser ssss
Is 'ss. sr-y -essy instances me envy
.ssres,a.,, ..sty 81 ~.>la:sA - resrer,t I'M.
rrcse1s aslssIsrsnistSn. ", rates.
# Il Rs ,.t.s s,ssSsits,t - Ssas 1ose nsures
.he sSs.. n-rs,f-: nv which tne
Stansas,s s1rstss .tTeaa', the oross
faSeri.isse ssr,s%t I; ~ Se ra'ro .ss
In cce1r,sceissr ms., sre open rates.
Ths .ssors., IL e,NssSe comes not
,,sr.,i ) ~, tioa s.sSs,ts Il, the rate Itself
s,s cgf:,r .rea with its competitors, but
by the higher prscss II Is anle 70
charge. a,td teyen without reference
n t contrS 81 the market which It
secures. thereby getting the profit On
the whole consumption. E-> ngain,
+. the only way by which the discrtmi-
nations can be cured is by conferrlns
upon the Interstate Commerce Com,
H -. -, fnl- otS
effective action in regulating the
rates. ~ +ss II Il
Sugar Trust Guilty.
One feature Of the report which Is
showing made as to the way IN which
tho law is evaded by treating as
state commerce what Is In reality
merely part Of Interstate con,r<,rcc'
1t is clearly shown, for instance,
chat this device Is employed on inc
New York Central Railroad, as well
as on many other railroads. in such
fashion as to amount to thwarting
the purpose OF the law. although inc
forms of the law may be Complied
with.
standard oiI Company is the only
great corporation which In the tmme.
dIate past has benefited, and Is at
this moment benefting, In wholly I'M
proper fashion by an elaborate series
OF rate DETERMINATIONS, which permit
rivals and Of the general public.
The Attorney. General reports to me
that the Investigation now going on
as to the shipment by the sugar trust
over the trunk lines running OUT
Of New York city tends to show
yspays the lawful rate for transporta;,
tlon, and Is thus improperly, and
probably unlawfuIly, favored at the
expense Of Its competitors and OF the
general public.
Governmental Supervision.
The argument is sometimes nd
yanced against comforting upon some
y governmental body the power OF su-
peryision and control over Interstate
weaken Individual initiative. lnves-
j4tigations such as this conclusively
disprove any such allegation. on the
y contrary, the proper play for lnd'.
4 vIduaI Initiative can only be secured
| by such governmental supervision as
crush out all Individual Initiative:
! The railroad Itself comet we<hout
such government aid protect the In
terests of It's own stockholders as
against one of these great corpora
4 lions, loosely known as trusts,
from uniting for Improper purposes,
we have very unWIeely prohibited
1 them from uniting for proper pl'r-
poses; that Is, for purposes OF pro-
Election to themselves and to the gen,
;.teral publicfas against the power OF
unite ION conditions laid down BY
IL Congress, such conditions to include
the specific approval of the Interstate
Commerce Commission of any agree
ment to which the railroads may
eminent must Interfere through It's
nqents to deprive the railroad Of the
ability to make to the big corpora
lions the concessions which otherwise
Z It Is powerless to refuse.
The government should have power
by its agents to examine into tho
conduct of the railways--that Is. the
nexamIners under the direction pr the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
should be able to examine as thor
oughly into the affairs of the Eail-
road as bank examiners now examine
into the affairs of banks.
Remedies.
II It e impossible to work material
Improvement in conditions such as
above described merely through the
fundamentally Of q law suit. a law
J; suit Is often necessary method; but
by Itself it IS an utterly inadequate
method. What is needed is the con.
ferrng upon the commission OF am.
3tpIe affllrmatiY power, so conferred
Sat once, sGb1ect only to such action
by the court as rs demanded BY the
Constitution. The courts have the
4. power to. and will Undoubtedly inter-
fere II the action Of the commission
should become In effect confscatory
OF the property of an individual or
corporation, Or II the commission
should undertake to do anything be-
yond the authority conferred upon 1t
by the law under which it Is acting.
/ am well aware that within the lin
Its thus set the commission may at
tipes be guilty Of injustice: but for
grosscr and far more frequent injus-
tee. and injustice Of a much more In
furious kind, now results and must al
ways result from the failure to give
the commission ample power to act
(, promptly and effectively within these
broad limits.
Unfair and Unlawful.
Though not bearing upon the ques-
ton of railroad rates there are two
measures, consideration OF which Is
imperafively suggested hy the Cub