East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-11-06

A Washington correspondent says
of Senator Heyburn's proposed rail-
road rate bill which is to come before
the coming session of congress:
Senator Hepburn of Idaho, purpos-
es to bring before the. congress the is
sue OF the long and short haul in the
form of an amendment to the inter-
state commerce law preventing rail-
ways from charging more to haul
freight to point less distant than
that to which a lesser rate is
charged.
The proposal of Senator Hepburn
VII involve exactly the issue contain
ed in the complaint of the Spokane
chamber of commerce and IL adopted
by the congress and sustained by the
supreme court would settle for all
time the much mooted question as
to preferential, rates for terminal
points situated on tidewater.
Senator Hepburn has been giving
exposition of hs views lately and has
announced his intention to introduce
bill of the character indicated.
Many Investigations.
Since Spokane's complaint has been
filed here and the interstate COM
merce commission has given its ex-
tensive and extended hearings to the
case. other cities. notably through
out the south, have filed similar COM
plants, so that the commission in
deciding the Spokane case can real
ly be deciding half score of other
causes. The same transportation
principle is involved in them all.
1t has been learned that, not from
inaction, but from desire to give
most careful consideration to the case,
the commisson has deferred for so
long a time its final ruling. 1t is
generally recognized, as frequently
has been stated in these dispatches, ,
that the Spokane case raises ques-
tions which go to the whole theory
of arbitrary rate adjustment which
has characterized railway manage
ment for many years.
Rates Are Unjust.
According to the contention of |
Senator Hepburn it is unjust to Spo- |
kane. Boise, Salt Lake or any other |
interior point to charge it the rate
from New York, for instance, to
Portland, Seattle, San Francisco or
Los Angeles, plus the local distribu
tive rate back to that interior point. |
He argues that the interior points are
made to suffer for the sustainment of |
the theory of water basis competition,
which he alleges is largely theoreti-
cal. anyway
This is understood to be the posi-
ton of Mr.. Hepburn. and that he
purposes to bring 1t in concrete form
before the congress this winter he
may be classed as among those who,
from the railroad mans point of
view, as we'll as that of the tidewater
city, will be "mussing things"
Hepburn Has Backing.
Advices are coming to Washing
ton that shippers in Boise, Salt Lake,
Butte, Helena and other interior
towns are preparing to back up the
measure of the Idaho senator which |
will be tantamount to giving aid and
comfort to the Spokane people in
their campaign for equality of rates
with the coast points.
In this connection, there constant
ly requires a puassi assertion, which
really is nothing more than an opin-
ion, that the interstate commerce
commission hesitates to decide the
Spokane case lest there be a too
great disturbance i'm the adjustment |
of rates throughout the country. The
members of the commission have
been guarded and so far as known
have not let slip even a hint as to
the trend of their deliberations on the |
Spokane case have taken, yet in
many quarters the opinion is held
that Spokane may win.