The Pensacola journal., 1907-05-03
LAMAR'S ADDRESS ON THE
RAILROAD RATE QUESTION

shipping public.
Let me name a few OF the amend
ments that were offered to the Hep
| burn railroad rate bill, on its passage
in the House of Representatives last
year. and which were voted down by
/ a combined vote of Democrats and
Republicans This will show the peO-
/ pie of Florida more clearly than any
! thing else what | seek 10 inform them
upon.
The Florida Law.
/ The Florida State Railroad COmmis-
/ sion law gives the Railroad Commits
sion the right to change unjust rates
upon their own motion and of their
own initiative. The Hepburn bill
| should have contained this very pow
er.
Mr.. Hardwick, of Georgia, offered
an amendment to the Hepburn bill,
giving the Interstate Commerce Com
mission this same power. as is pos
! sessed by the Florida State Commits
sion But a combined vote of Demo-
Gratis and Republicans voted it down.
So the Florida shipper is compelled
now. in order to get relief from an
unjust Interstate freight rate, To
make formal complaint to the inter
state Commerce Commission. This
is unjust The Florida Commission
law is correct.
The conservative" Democrats and
conservative" Republicans voted
down this essential amendment 10 the
Hepburn bill.
In the second place, the Hepburn
bill should have contained prOvis-
ion that no railroad could raise OF
increase any present or existing
freight rate. without the consent of
AS it stands now, the railroads can
raise a phosphate rate. an orange
rate, or a vegetable rate, of an inter
state character. at their own sweet
will. They can compel the orange
people, the lumber people, the vege-
table shippers, TO complain and fight
this rate down, if it is unjust and un-
reasonable. l offered such an amend
Iment to the Hepburn bill and it was
voted down by a combined vote of
Democrats and Republicans
No Difference Between Them.
There is no difference in Congress
between conservative" Democrat
and a conservative" Republican on
corporation questions. They all vote
the same way.
The orange shippers of South Flor
ida will remember how in 1890. there
Florida to New York on oranges,
from thirty to forty cents. This was
a raise of thirty-three and One-third
per cent. It was an unjust raise. It
was an extortiOnate raise. 1t swim
died the people of South Florida out
of hundreds of thousands of dollars
in a very short time.
The above named amendment Of
fered by me, was suggested in the re
ports of the Industrial Commission
made to the 57th Congress. five or
six years ago. It set out this very
swiEdle of the orange shippers of
Florida. The language of the Indus
trial Commission on this point, reads
as follows:
"AS Il matter of fact the damage
inflicted by the existence of such an
unreasonable rate, cannot be meas
Ured by hundreds, or perhaps, hun
dTeds of thousands of dollars. The
bearing of this citation (meaning the
orange rate easel. is TO show that
any effectual protection to the ship
per must proceed from an adjudica-
ton of the reasOnablenesS of rates
before, and not after, they have been
paid-that is to say, in advance of
their eXaction by the carrier. Power
TO pass upon the TeaSOnabIenesS of such
rates, prior to their enforcement as
a consequence, constitutes, practical
ly. the only safeguard which the ship
ping public may enjoy"
The Third Defect.
now DOiDt ont tho third doFocf