The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-21
HARMON ON RATE PROBLEM Ex-Attorney General Speaks in Detroit. SHIPPERS MUCH TO BLAME Compel the Carriers to Break
 Laws. Railroads Should Re Given a Fair Trial Before There Is q Resort to Artificial Regulations of the
 Tariffs.

Detroit, Mich, Jan. z0-Judson Har- mon of Cincinnati, attorney general of the United States under President Cleve- land. delivered an address on the rail- road rate problem tonight at dinner given at the Cosmopolitan Club. about fifty members of the club being present, number of whom participated in an open discussion at the close of Judge Harmon's address. Judge Harmon spoke in part as follows:
 Tt Is said railroad rates must be fair as we'll as equaf. True enough; but when they are the same to all alike the best assurance of fairness is ap piled. With the strong, and in many cases. excessive competition among carriers which we have in this country and with the natural competition, whatever 1t be. made and kept free and unsuppressed, whether by combination, contracts or improper community of interests or control. in any form. am convined there can be few just com plaints of unreasonable high rates.
 Prosecution or Offenders.
 The government seems to be pro- ceeding earnestly to enforce the laws directed against the real evil of favor itism by rebates and otherwise. I be- 1ieve the time has come when neither railway officials nor shippers can break those laws on any pretext, without per- sonal dishonor. And so confident am in open natural conditions working out just results in the hands of our free and intelligent people, that I, for one, wish them given a fair trial before resorting to any attempt at artificial regulation. This should be only last resort in all matters which involve the action and reaction of commercial forces on a null titude of charging circumstances as the fixing of rates does.
 Shippers who get rebates or special rates in any form care nothing about the published rates. Such shippers are always great and powerful. Their in- fiuence over the railroads is forceful. as shown by their ability to exact fa- vors. So long as they enjoy these, ! their influence on general rates Is pas
 sive if not active, on the side of the railroads.
 Strong Must ProteetWeak. But when they are compelled to pay the same rates as all others, their DOW CT and influence are at once transposed to the other side and when any attempt | on the part of the railroads to enforce
 unreasonable rates is met by the earn
 est and united efforts of the entire body of shippers, cannot believe that the railroads can prevail in such a conflict in which the strong shippers are bound to protect the weak in pro- tecting themselves, instead of thriving at their expense.
 Rates are now fixed by law as soon l as they are published and their publi- cation Is required. If impartial ob- servance of those rates which are fixed
 in the first instance by the railroads themselves cannot be enforced by legal penalties, what reason can there be to expect this to be done with respect to rates fixed by some one else? Once ad- init that the laws concerning railroads cannot be enforced there Is no escape from government ownership"