The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-15

fact II may be stated that the chief ad-
vocates Of the proposition 10 give the In
er 10 nx rates or to, change
rates. are moro deeply interested
I'm having the power over minimum than
maximum rates. The chief advocate OF
rate legislation, e. T. Bacon, has fatty
declared that tho commission should be
empowered 10 raise rate as well a9
lower H. Gov. Cummins OF Iowa so
stated before the Senate committee dur
ing the hearings last spring and the In
tcrstato Commerce Commission bill pro-
yides that the commission should have
power to raise as well as lower rates.
Probably these facts Will be brought out
in the debate. but here they are: II Is
or to any great extent They can be cor
rected now. as all lnws and court deci-
slons prohibit the charging OF an unreo.
sonable rate, Discrimination Is the chief
cause Of complaint and this can only
be reached by giving the commission
power TO say what shall he the lowest as
we'll as the highest rate To illGstrate; n,n Insa
from Chicago and 100 miles from Du.
buquc. la. The rate on n carload OF
goods from Chicago is less than on the
same goods from Dubuque to the WIS
Consin town. Investigation has SHOWN
that tho rate from Dubuque is reason
able, so that cannot be changed. Even
II II was changed, the competitive con
dItions arc such that the rate from Chi
cago would also be changed, would be
lowered. Now, what Is wanted is to nave
tD0 power Nchleb III lUe I'm
merce Commission to say that the rate
from Chicago to the Wisconsin town muet
not be lower than the ratio from Dubuquej
that Is that a minimum rate can oe hxed
by the commission, and that the rail-
roads must not reduce rates below H.
Determinations between localities, II Is
asserted. can only be governed by giving
tho commission authority to rnLse as well
ss lower rate. or at least to prevent
the lowering OF a rate to meet reduction
OF somo rate which has heretofore been
klrh I'd
by the commission
Changing Ground.
It Is In regard TO the minimum rate
that President Roosevelts last message
differs so very materially from his mes
sage OF a year ago. The message or De
Cembcr T. 1866, advocated giving the com
mission power to fix maximum rates, to
cay when rate was unreasonaoly nlgn
and 10 lower 1t. The message of Decem-
Der, 1904. advocated SPECIFIC e, rate OF
power over any rate which was diScriml-
natory. or course II Is the low rate
which discriminates In favor OF localities.
IL Is when rate from the Atlantic TO the
mountain States Ia reasonable and the
rates to the Pacific coaet are lower that
the discrimination occurs. The law can,
not make the reasonable rate lower, ana
the most radical advocates OF rate legis-
latlon want tho lower rate raised so tnat
the Inland towns VIII be on the some
footing the Pacific coast cities, VI
course II may be asserted that the coast
rates should remain the Same TO meet
water competition, and that the rates 10
the inland points lowered, but the roads
ln most cHses have proven that such a
reduction would be unrcaSonably low.
But that Is the problem. just the same
II has already been asserted that law
comforting power on tho Interstate Com
mcrce Commission to fix a maximum rate
would not meet tho most important fea-
lures of the present day complaints Mr..
Bacon assured Senator Tillman that such
Was the case. but the South Carolina man,
nl oh nj ~
porations. did not see his way clear to sup
port a measure providing that a Commits
sion should have power 10 raise rate as
we'll as to lower II. 1t will be found that
many Senators will hesitate before accept
ing a minimum rate bill. To say that a
carrier shall not reduce its rates II II
chooses Is going pretty far, In tho opinion
OF many men in Congress Yet the Esch-
Townsend bill provided for specific rate
making by the commission Specific rate
making means that the commission can
raise or lower rates and the commission
ers or some Of them, frankly told the com
mittee last spring that only by comforting
such power could the evils complained OF
be reached.
But when alrs said and done" to quote
one OF Speaker Cannon's favorite phrases.
there will be no specific or minimum rate
making power conferred upon the Inter
State Commerce Commission,
Wants Santo Domingo.
Senator Hepburn OF Idaho NAV decide
TO exploit his proposition for the annexa-
ton OF Santo Domingo. He has twice in
troduced a resolution TO that effect. and
has not In the least been discouraged by
the scant attention which II has attracted
But now when IL becomes apparent that
tho United States must take control OF
the island II peace and quiet are to be
maintained, there are plenty of people
who Will prefer that there should be no
middle ground In the matter OF control.
no subtcrfuge, or pretense: no protecto-
ratio, OF autonomous government, but that
the island shall be taken over and man
aged as an American colony in charge of
American officers. and II necessary pa
trolled by American troops. Hepburn may
not be able TO get through his resolution
now, but at least he has Il fine opportu-
nifty TO present his views and make a rea-
sonaole argument In support of them.
Newlands Wants Cuba
Another Western Senator. Newlands OF
Nevada. has had for several years an an
nexation scheme. Both as a member OF
the House and u Senator he advocates the
annexation of Cuba. He has made a num-
Der OF speeches on the subject and one
soon after he came into the Scnutc- His
anneXtion resolution was antagonized by
Senator Hale. VINO In a few incisive re-
marks made Ii plain that annexation was
q dream. that neither Cuba nor the United
States wanted the island made a part of
the United States. Newlands vigorously
replied. and declared that no one could
tell what Cuba wanted until the PROPOSE
tion was presented.
Blackburn's Defeat.
Senator Blnckburn's defeat will remove
a picturesque figure from the Senate. Joe |
Blackburn may be termed the last OF the
brigadlers. He was first elected to the
Forthy-f fourth Congress, the first Demo
cratic House after the Civil war. Those |
who can remember something about the |
politics OF that day will recollcct that |
much was said about the Confederate !
Brigadicrs." because the South had sent |
so many men OF the late Confederacy 10 !
Congress. II was the time OF the bloody |
shirt too, and nc Congress dcveloped !
quite 80 much rancor and sectional feel
Ing Blackburn is not the last "briPaJIer