Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-30
BILLION
TAXES ANNUALLY
WHY REPUBLICAN POLICY IS
COSTLY
JOSEPH CALL REVEALS TRUE
BASIS OF RATES
of Transportation Which the
Railroads May De-
nnand

Joseph H. Call, known in the traffi
world as an authority on the law o
transportation, declares that the rail
way corporations, acting in concert
wholly regulate the commerce of tn,
United States and fix the rates an,
conditions under which commerce ma!
move.
Discussing the Democratic platform
railroad regulation and the tariff, Mr.
| Call yesterday pointed out where thu
best interests of the people lie. HI
said:
THE Democratic party has always
been in favor of government by Law
instead of government by the absolute
orders of men. mere affirmation Of
| the Democratic form of government
as opposed to despotism.
I'VE have always opposed govern
ment by injunction because such gov
eminent emanates from the orders OF
individual men and fixes the status
of persons after the event instead OF
by operation of laws before the alleged
of1ense has been committed, and we
likewise oppose government by cor
porations, which is simply another
form of personal government as dis
tinguished from government by law.
MOT Tor courts
at should not be left for courts to
determine by DEGREES the right of la
borers as against employers, nor the
rights of employers as against labor
ers, but those matters should be reg
ulated wholly by law, so that the
rights of each may be defined and
known in advance and so that there
will be no excuse for the despotic and
arbitrary ORDERS of courts.
Likewise the regulation of COM
merce, including the terms, conditions
and rates upon which commerce may
be moved, should be regulated by law,
as provided in the federal constitution,
and should not be regulated by a gen
eral congress of railroad presidents
and traffic men, as has been khe
practice for many years. but the
whole matter should be one of legal
regulation so that the rights of all
may be known in advance.
There is no branch of government
or of legislation more important than
that of regulating commerce, and TO-
day the railway corporations, acting
in concert, wholly regulate the COM
merce of the United States and fix
the rates and conditions under which
commerce may move.
Violate Sherman Act
"The interstate commerce commits
sion has for years refused to prose-
cute railroads for fixing rates in COM
bination, although the fixing of such
rates by competitive lines is in viola
ton of the commerce act and also of
the Sherman act.
eff the United States senate were
elected by the people, as demanded by
the Democratic platform, neither men,
bers of the commerce commission nor
the United States attorneys would be
agents Of the railroads or trusts for
the reason that the senate really Sc
lects and appoints these officers.
mo one can suggest reason why
there should be a maximum tariff for
the importation of goods in the United
States which does not apply to max
imum tariff for the transportation of
goods within the United States, nor
can an objection be made to one which
is not applicable to the other. In fact,
it is we'll known and can be verified
from a comparison of the railroad
tariffs and the government import tar
ifs that all of the transcontinental
rates within the United States fixed
by railroads are wholly based upon
the tariff on imports upon the respect
i've commodities plus the freight from
foreign countries to the United States
III IOIGlSn DOllOluS. TOT lIlSldIlc6.
Cheaper Water Frelghts
81. The water freight from Germany
to the United States plus the import
duty upon Portland cement is IS per
ton, and the railroad tariff for cement
from Chicago and Missouri river
points to Los Angeles and San Fran
cisso is now IS per ton, whereas it was
formerly SIS per ton by rail.
~ foV,fpf
ingots, nails, structural iron, boiler
plate, etc, is $40 per ton and freight
from England is 81 per ton; total, $14
per ton; and the railroad tariff from
New York, Chicago, Missouri river and
common points to San Francisco or
Los Angeles on that class of freight in
carload lots is SIS per ton.
"3. The tariff on wheat flour is 20
per cent ad valorem, $14 per ton, and
water freight from Liverpool 81 total,
SIS per ton; and the railroad rate from
Chicago, New York and Missouri river
points is SIS per ton on wheat flour
and $16 per ton on cereals and cereal
products such as buckwheat, corn,
barley, meal, etc.
"A careful comparison of the rates
from the transcontinental tariff and
from the government import duties
established by the Dingley bill will
show that the railroad rates east and
west and north and. south in the United
States, as to interstate commerce, are
based upon the import tariff upon the
respective commodities, plus the water
rates from England with this single ex-
ception-that where the commodity in
England is sold at a considerably less
price than maintained by trust in
the United States this is taken into
consideration by the railroad in fixing
the tariff rate and works a reduction
Of the rate.
coastwise Monopoly, Too
'sThe coastwise trade act of congress
prohibits shipments of American
freight from one American port to an
other in a foreign ship and the rail-
ways own or control the coastwise
VESSELS and maintain the water rate