Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-12-27
Cattle and Sheep Men Of West
Are Not Treated Fairly
BY Railroads.
so SAYS THEIR ATTORNEY.
Easy 10 Introduce" Biils-CopNright
Measure IN senate Attracting
Considerable Attention.


sure better conditions than existed to-
day. TO this end they are urging
| legislation which win affect every ship
per IN the country. Their attorney
Judge j. VI. Cowan. OF Fort Worth,
/ speaking on this subject today said;
There can be no doubt that far
| play demands that the act To- regulate
commerce should be 50 amended that
[ "a railroad rate. made by The railroads
and which has been i'm effect for TWO
years or more shall not be advanced
except with the consent OF the inter-
state commerce commission. after af-
fordiug opportunity 20 Interested par
ties 90 hc heard And that the COM
! mission be given the power To pre-
scribe the amount of the advance If
% find that some advance less than
that proposed would be reasonable. In
no other way can the public have the
real benefit OF that presumption which
the courts and the commission have
repeatedly affirmed. that "a rate fixed
by the carriers and remaining long IN
effect is presumably high enough. The
shipper must complain and hearing
must be had before he can get a rate
reduced. Why should not the carriers
Doe subject TO the same rule before they
advance long standing rate.
1.-THE country Is divided into traffic
districts in which the railroad traffic
men fix and change the rates, with
the object of course, 20 make more
money. and fl ia certain that they will
be able To make more advances than
the shippers will ever get reductions
because In most Instances the shippers
cannot afford 70 enter the unequal con-
test. So the net of n win be just what
has happened for the past 10 years,
constant average increase in actual
rates The reduction where IL hap
pens, of per ton mile earnings
indicates nothing as that depends on
the character OF tonnage and length
of the haul.
Since the enactment OF the Hepburn
bill the receipts of the railroads in
gross and In net earnings and in tho
average received for the units of traf-
flc an show that the people pay more
per unit of traffic than they did before,
besides the vast Increase In earnings
from abOlishing FREQ services and re,
bates. The reductions made by the In
torstate commerce commission have
been Insignificant compared to the net
advanta ges Of the law, and advance
made BIZ roads.
"The claims that there should be no
further regulation because the rail-
roads have suffered from regulations Is
without foundation In fact officials
may have suffered the loss Of oppor-
tunity which before these laws were
enacted were quite freely INDUCED but
the railroad corporations a. such have
not suffered I'm the aggregate any loss
The railroads are not worth les.
money but are worth more money.
and this all OF the officials are con-
stantly swearing 20 before 'he inter-
state commerce commlsslon n hearings
on rate cases II the price Of stocks
and bonds have fallen e Is not due
TO reduced earnings but TO some other
cause; neither IS It due 20 "a reduced
value OF the property. Why should
the law or the people be charged with
reducing these stocks and bonds 900
that the amount they are sold for W
now net five OF six percent return. or
DC credited with having advanced them
90 tho price of a year ago when they
sold at figures which would bring a
roturn OF about three percent. Neither
the law nor the people control 70. and
they have neither destroyed the value
OF the property nor have they injured
IL or the right to have a rea sonablc
return thageon.
"Of course earnings may FAN on I'm
hard times, that Is Incident 10 any
business, and so the individual suffers
and n the railroads may advance
rates 20 keep up their total earnings 10
the past record. which ls certain % be
asserted. 10 Is imperative that the law
suggested be enacted to limit this
right.
Another matter requiring regulation
Us the service. Conditions in an tine
livestock country respecting transport
tation service are dreadnnv bad. aq
was clearly proven before the inter.
state commerce commission in the in
featigatious which a made last winter
There has been little Improvement I'd
least, in most localities Livestock.
grain. lumber coal and merchandise
are constantly delayed for weeks and
months eniailing great loss. ln the eau.
tlc and sheep business one cannot
make contract dependent upCh trans
uortduou. As has been repeatedly
proven livestock in thousands of bal.
stances after being fat and rcady fDr
market are refused shipment for tho I
failure to furnish ears. and yet there /
gre more stock cars than ever before /
iu poportion 90 the livestock shipped /
The speed at which they are carrieJ I
does not average eight miles per hom I
aa ls shown by inyostiga tlous OF th /
agricultural department no is a mc.- /
ZION oi the performance or the can. /
and not tho number Of cars We can /
prove 10 Wc have proven IL and Tho /
We.i demands the relief A fair SER /
vice ior "a lair rate is our slogan"
TEN THOUSAND BILLS.
Although tine house of representa- 4
"' NNN MhNANA N|HnInM Only |
ahou. three days since Congress ss
a0mhI-d tne members succeeded m m.
Producing mot less than 10000 bills be-
Tore inc holiday recess Tho proceeds
of starting an idea ou the ROAD towards
ino statutes Ht large b. simple on.
ihn-c days Am that is necessary Is hi
take "a COPY of the bin which failed of
consideration iu previous Congress.
scratch Ouf the number of fhal Con /
gross Insert u llru thereof "slrUrth |
Congress. FIRST session" and add ana /
name Of tho member Then throw thc
document INTO a receptacle and Inc bnl /
IF introduced
ESQ., easy ia this method Az compared
"lil Iha Ola way That many memhers
rImpF look up ul the old bills intro
aIr"1 br themselves or their prederr-
lrH secure copies ana throw Them Id
Without looking INTO The provisions
which they father For mo past Timed
weeks thc cOmpOsitors boz me mn,
room of the government PRINTING
Offices have been working dav ans
night yet Boa spite 0f the vigorous and
onetant work of the entire force iess
han "a third OF the bills have been
printed. m would perhaps be- al won
n some plan could Doe perfected for
editing bills before printing them. such
. plan would certainly make fOr econ
omy as A. frequently happens tnat
lalf Cozen members Introduce idou.
Ideally me same measures and what IL
n ofso scores NJ such measures have /
ham nfFannH fHf. ...uf... 1900