The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-20
FORAKER TALKS ON
RATE REGULATION.
Voted Against Hepburn Bill for
Three Reasons, He
Says.
roo MUCH GOVERNMENT NOW
Believes Best Course Is for Peo-
pie to Decide as to Tariff
Revision.

M1AAIISBURG, OHIO, July l9.--ln an
address before the Miami Valley Chau-
tauqua to day United States Senator
Foraker called on tariff revislonists FOR
Il bill OF particulars, and explained
some points In the recent rate legisla-
ton which did not seem to him to have
been clearly understood by the public
He said, In part:
am charged with the offense of not
having voted with my party. That is 1
| true, but 1t Is also true that while
r did not vote with the Republican,
party on tho rate bill neither did
vote with tho Democratic party. The
one argument Is as good as the other,
but neither is important, because no
one will claim that voted against the
| rate bill for party consideration.
| voted against the rate bill for
three general reasons: First, thought
1t waa unwise: second. I thought It was
unconstitutional; third, thought 1t was
i unnecessary.
!, I thought it was unwise becatse ex-
.,perience has demonstrated that rate
making is SO difficult that only ex-
rerts can do the work satisfactorily.
i There are thousands of these experts
/ constantly engaged with this kind OF
I work. No seven OF tho most skilled
i experts could make rates for every
one quarter of the country much less
i seven laymen.
i But 1T Is said that the Interstate
i Commerce Commission is not to take
the initiative In rate-m making, but only
to hear complaints against existing
rates. and when on investigation and
hearing It finds that the rates COM
plained Of are unreasonable it shall
have power to substitute new rates,
and that In consequence their rate
making power will be limited and re-
stricted in its scope and character.
/ The trouble with this contention is
that it Is impossible to deal with one
rate without affecting many rates.
The work Is not only too difficult, but
1t is too great for any seven men, any
limited number OF men acting as a
commission. 1t would be great and
too difficult If they had nothing else
to do, but the other duties and those
that are properly intrusted to such a
commission, those that are purely adj
minlstrative. are so numerous and, so
: >arduous and so exacting that a salts
factory discharge Of them would take
I all their time and all their strength
Too Much Government.
believe that the country that is
!, least governed is best governed. With
in the memory of all of US this was a
maxim Of universal acceptance--a car
! dinal principle, 50 to speak-of every
! political party. The railroads affect.
! directly and indirectly, almost all the
q people OF the country, and almost all
: the business OF the country. We must
. regulate. interstate commerce and rail-
roads as facilities for It's transactions
a but it Is not necessary to resort to leg
: islation in that behalf that is viola
r tive of the Constitution. and by which
r tho government assumes duties which
lin the nature Of things, it cannot sat
q isfectorily discharge.
n II we are to fix the rates that may
be charged, we must determine how
. much revenue q railroad shall be al
= lowed to have. and this involves how
: much 1t may expend for the expense
: of operation, what salaries 1t shall pay
:, to its officials, what wages to its en-
: ployes, and how much it may expend
. for betterments. for equipment. for
maintenance and for construction.
When the government becomes re
: sponslblp for the rates that are to b
: charged. 1t necessarily becomes respon
: sible for all these details.
S l think the rate bill was unconstitu
3, tional because it invested the Inter
: state Commerce Commission with judi
Q cial, legislative and executive power.
: Plenty of Law.
I was not In error In thinking the
r rate bill unnecessary, for time has al
d ready vindicated the contention tina
e what we needed at the time the Hep
a burn law was passed was not more leg
= islation, but only the enforcement o
4 the laws we already had.
: Although the Elkins law was enact
d ed in February, 1903, there was no at
t tempt to enforce 1t until October. 1905
n less than two years ago. but during thi
q period, short as It is, there have bee
:, more than one hundred indictment
- under it. and these indictments contai
II in the aggregate more than 1000 counts
e There have been numerous trials an,
IS numerous convictions, and numerou
injunctions to restrain further abuses
with numerous impositions of fines a
penalties. AS against $4,000 of fine
under twenty years of the lnterstat
Commerce act of 1887, and Its amend
ments, there have been In less than tw
years since the government undertoo!