Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-05
SEATTLE IS SELECTED.
Decision Of the State Railroad
Commissioners.
PLACE OF NEXT MEETING
Delegates Pay Their Respects to the
President.
FAIRNEs IN FIXING RATES
Mr.. Clements Contends That Equitable
Treatment May BE Assumed
for the Commission.


of by the state railroad commissioners at
their final meeting today. and it was de-
cided not to call the traffic managers of
the railroads into consultation in arrang-
ing the schedule of what might be con-
sidered reasonable rates.
The commissioners decided to hold their
next meeting in Seattle, Wash. in the sum-
mer of 1897. Seattle winning out from
Washington, d. c., after stiff fight.
The commissioners then went to the
White House to call on the President. and
reassembled this afternoon for the election
of officers.
There was a good deal of business~left
over for the last sday of the meeting, but
the report of the committee on rates and
rate making was the most important.
The feature of the morning session was
the address of Interstate Commerce Com
missioner Clements, who announced 1t as
his opinion that 1.-The public cannot rely
upon the selfish interest of the carriers
to see that no injustice is done to any ship
per. locality commodity" By the adj
missions of the carriers themselves, he
said this must be so.
His remarks were called forth by the re-
port of the committee on rates and rate
making, offered by Benjamin F. Chad
bourne of Maine. its chairman. That COM
mittee among other things. made the sug-
gestion that it would be a good idea to
bring into the deliberations OF the aSSOc1a-
ton the knowledge of the traffic managers.
This proposition, however, met with such
opposition that the convention declined to
extend an invitation to such officers to at
tend the next meeting of the convention.
In discussing the question of the fixing of
rates. the committee declared that rates
should be just and reasonable, with as
much stability as possible. and should not
be dfseriminative as to persons, products
or localities, and should cover the entire
cost of transportation from origin to des-
t!nation. including all intermediate services
and charges The first making, or initia
ton. of rates. it suggested should be
left to the railroad.
Fairness to Be Presumed
In the course of his remarks Commits
sioner Clements said that many considera-
lions had been mentioned that applied
and many others would apply in particular
cases in determining what is a reasonable
and just rate, But he said, in respect
to all these matters. whether by the rail
way commissions or the interstate com
merce commission, there is no body of
public men responsible to the people OF
the country who may be entrusted with
this subject that will ever. under our con-
dittonS of government, become extreme,
radical and confiscatory and undertake to
destroy properties of railroads There is
no danger of that. No set of men can af-
ford to do that. 1t will be against the pub
demned at all times.
Continuing along these lines Commits
sioner Clements said that government must
be applied by men, and that those who are
entrusted with the application of the law
to the particular facts must be presumed to
intend TO do what is fair, just, reasonable
and honest.
Referring to what he said had been term
ed the campaign of education during the
past year and to the charge oft repeated
that the vesting in a commission of the
power to fix remedial rates would be open
to great abuse, Commissioner Clements
said
while l might point out to you how the
judicial POWER in the courts could be abused
If the courts Were to set their faces toward
the purpose of abusing their powers and do
ing nothing else while | could point out
how the Congress itself could, disregarding
it's obligations to the public. abuse its pow
er; while l could point out how, with ma
jority in Congress- either House could favor
one section of the country TO the destruc-
ton or down-puiling Of another if they saw
At to do it, the general presumption is that
the courts, the executive and Congress and
each branch of it and every other tribunal
will do It's duty as 1t sees It. The presump
tions OF law viii be that it is going to do
that and not seek for the worst it can do. .
He declared, further, that it had been as
sumed that this power granted to a railway
commission would be exercised in the worst
possible way it could find to do It, but, he
said, that Is not q reasonable and fair
way to consider the question of the powers
of rate-making."
John S. Mcmillan of Washington was
elected president Of the association.
Mr.. Fitzpatrick of the Illinois delegation
offered a resolution asking Congress to ap-
point commission to inquire into the mat
ter of the best automatic block signal
available for use on the various roads of
the country This resolution was adopted.
Next Place of Meeting.
Then came the fight for the next meeting
place of the association. There were In
vitations from Detroit, Toledo Norfolk and
Chicago. each place urging its claims
the very best meeting point for the associa-
ton. But the real fight came between this
city and Seattle, Wash. Mr.. Moseley, the
secretary of the interstate commerce COIN
mission, delivered the invitation on behalf
of this city, and said that the commission
would be glad to have the convention as It's
guests, and would be able next year TO
show them a good many courtesies and at
tentions that they had been debarred from
this year by the press of official business
during the pending rate legislation at the
Capitol. He said that all the machinery
for the convenience of the convention was
here in Washington, and was wholly at
the disposal of the commissioners.
This warm invitation was heartily In
dorsed by several of the members of the
convention, who said that With Washington
as a permanent headquarters and in close
touch with Congress and with the inter-
state commerce commission the convention
would be able to do more good than by
junketing around to different points in the
country.
But Mr. Mcmillan of Olympia. Wash,
extended q hearty invitation on behalf of
Gov. Meade of Washington and the Seattle
Chamber of Commerce, and declared that
IL the convention would only go ont to the
coast they would have not only the educa-
ton afforded by seeing much that was best
of the country on the transcontinental trip
and seeing new community making the
most rapid strides of material progress in
the world. but that the city whose guests
they were to be would give them ten
day trip from Seattle to Alaska and back
during which they would have chance to
see that far-off region, with its matchless
scenery, and, I'm addition, would have ten
days of close personal contact during
which they would be able to discuss all
the papers and reports presented TO the
meeting and would in reality have chance
to do the best work of the whole conven-
ton in close touch with each other after
the regular business sessions were over
The vote on the two cities was close
and exciting. Seattle finally won out by
20 TO Il. The time of meeting was left to
the executive committee. and the vote in
favor of Seattle was made unanimous as