The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-05-23
sAMpLE oF RAVE REGULATION

SAMPLE OF RATE REGULATION.
A fair sample OF how the railway
rate regulation bills regulate rail-
road rates, under interstate COM
merce laws, Is shown by dispatch
from Chicago which appeared in this
paper last night. The dispatch tells
OF the final testimony being given
by James Peabody, statlstlcian of the
Santa Fe railroad, In the case
brought by the Texas Cattle Ralsers
association four years ago, charg-
ing that 81 for switching charges
was too high. The case was brought
against the NJ. X. & r., and twen1
ty-four other railroads, and has been
dragged along in the federal courts
for four years, and will not he 7ar-
gued before the commission at Wash
ington, till May "a, um.
Thus It is seen that case brought
under the interstate commerce ACT
takes four years to get a hearing,
and in the mean time the railroads
90 on charging what they please for
switching charges, and all other
charges, ,,., u,s
In the estimation OF the Panhan-
die, the whole commissioner system
is farce. When the Cullom inter-
state bill and the Regan maximum
freight bills were before congress-
we favored the Regan bill, and OPP
posed the Cullom bill for the reason
That the Regan bill provided for
maximum specific rates, while the
Cullom bill provided for a commits
sion OF high salaried gentlemen to
hear the complaints of the people
against the robberies of the rail-
roads, and bury them for years, while
the railroads continued their illegal
exactlons from the people. The rail-
roads had no use for the Regan bill,
for under It, they knew just what
they could charge for certain service,
and what they could not charge with
out laying themselves liable to pros
ecutlon. They used al their great
influence, when 1t was seen that
some legislation was needed, and fin
ally succeeded in securing the farce
which has taken fourteen years for
the people 10 find out that they actu-
ally had no redress for the wrongs
perpetrated by the railroads, but
had simply had the wool pulled over
their eyes, and been made to think
they had redress, when It fact they
iiad nothing.
The clamor became so great for
railroad legislation, that the last
congress was compelled to give the
people something to stop the clamor,
and with the assistance of the shrewd
railroad lawyers in congress, an
amendment to the old law has been
put in force, which will amount to
no more than the old one in the end,
but it will take years again for the
people to find out that they have
been fooled again, and in the mean
time the railroads go on, charging
the people what they please, and
when they complain, their cases will
be referred to the interstate COM
MERGE commission and the farce OF
hearing gone through with, which
will take years, and in the meantime
the complainant may die or pass out
of business, but the railroads may
continue their methods of charging
all the traffic will permit" robbing
the people on rates, and giving them
rotten service. II they are finally
adiudged guilty all that VIII be done
will be an order for lower rate
which the railroad will tack on some
where else, and so ahead with the
robbery. what would the railroads