The Washington times., 1908-12-28
Senator Burkett Has Bill Civ
ing Authority Over Trans
mission Business.
NO COMPETITION
BETWEEN CONCERNS
Popular Demand for Outright Gov
ernment Ownership Is
Steadily Growing.
By 7. c. WELLIVER.

By ]. c. WELLIVER.
Immediately after the holiday re gess
Senator Burkett OF Nebraska viii in
truduce in the upper chamber a bill to
extend the Interstate Commerce Com
missions authority over the telegraph
| and telephone business Of the country,
? so Tar as ii is amenable as Interstate
business. to the Federal authority
senator BUrkett mas been contemplat-
HIg this move for a long time. In the
last TWO years a good many things have
iContrtbuted to the strength Of demand
for effective regulation or this business,
especially OF the telegraph service. 1t
Is confidently believed by persons who
have looked into 1t that such a delega-
tion OF authority VIII very soon lead to
an investigation of the relations between
the TWO great telegraph companies,
which Will disclose = mutuality OF in
teTest possibly amounting 20 a violation
OF the sherman law. The two concerns
have dealt repeatedly with questions of
rates and charges in a manner which
indicates the existence OF the closest
understanding. Competition, IL is freeIy
declared, Goes not exist. one Of tbs
possible results OF such legislation
as Burkett proposes, would. In the opn-
cation Of the two companies in the near
1uIure-
Telegraph Under Postoffice.
At the same time there Is growing de-
mand Tor the assumption by me Gov
eTnmenL OF The enure telegraph bust
ness. and makDg lis mauLEement =
part or the junction or the rOstUrHce
department. Recently the cASessiye
rates OF the cable companies have Uern
under examination ana charges IN Jnts
connection have been made when, il
sustained, would indicate tnat me puyhc
is contributing more literally than il
| would ChOOse 10 DO II IL Anew all the
facts
Lnen there is the question OF the pos
! slD!e Development Of WTeiess telegrapuy
aS means 10 cheaper LrauslnlsslOu
blt tne Immediate q1esuOn wllIcu Sela-
Tor BuTheLJ RAISES IS JuaL OF eUeraI
control OF the ordinary telegraph. an
D -reaseS IN JOIIs ana uIiIeTences between
4 ne corporations ana lueIT empIuyes IN
. tne Lass Two years nave served ~ con-
CSnlraLe atienuOn on these COMPANIES.
Inc telegraph IS IN most CUuutr!eS a
{ Drancn OF Jne POsJOuICe Department S
I business, ana comparison OF Garages Tor
I service IN this ana OLLeT COunITIes OF
/ some what similar circumstances are de-
! cloeoIy not 10 the advantage OF the
/ American management according 10
| those VINO have lOOkec into tne matter.
Department of Transportation.
! Al this. again. illustrates the nature
| Of the forces which are working toward
creation OF a Department OF TrauspOrta-
/ ton in this country.
The law already gives TO the commits
| sion certain powers over rates certain !
/ powers Of investigation and inquiry; I
certain control over accounting proc
| ssses, with the duty Of prescribing a /
uniform method and enforcing II IL Is |
4 proposed IN one pending bill 10 direct
Z The commission to make a valuation or /
all the railroads. in another 10 have 1t |
/ teke over a general supervision OF the
rates ana practices Of telegraph com
/ panIes; in another, % investigate the
I business OF the express companies The
sleeplng-car business has been brought
70 the commission S attention of late,
and an investigation Of the whole scope
financial. administrative. etc--is about |
/ to be made.
When Congress wants Information
about anything IN the realm Of com
mcrce Il directs the commission 10 pro- |
duce IL When there was suspicion Lh2t !
Western railroads had been stealing
public lands. the commission was set at
work finding out the facts, and IL found I
them The Hartman railroad system Z
+ was suspected Of some illegal and OBJ /
JectiOnable practices-some financial, /
some merely in business conduct The /
T N-nL4lAA6S4uu was LOlG ~ INV dlEs anu d
did. Before that, the commission gath /
cred the facts on which the Government I
based its prosecution OF the Northern /
Securities merger.
Commission Not Adequate.
All these and a score Of other func- /
tions of the Governments chief adminis- /
trative authority over commerce sug-
gest how vast IL the field to he covered. /
Yet. undertaking tc DO all these things, 4
the commission lacks the dignity Of a +
Government department II is not rep
resented in the Cabinet by a Cabinet Of /
ficer- 1t is subject TO the orders of TIE i
President or OF the Congress. and has .
no independent standing when IL would
like to make recommendations. When
the Department Of Commerce and La
Dor was established il was looked upon
as a recognition Of the immensely OF
this field of activity. Yet II is freely I
admitted that since that department Z
was created more business has been
sent TO the commission than TO the de-
partment, so far as concerns interstate
commerce. The need OF changing con-
ditions is apparent enough, but the
method Of improving them is not so
easy to determine. Il
Judge Taft has a plan which viii be
subjected to the closest analysis In the
opinion of many who have considered
carefully this set Of problems, It lacks
in its failure to recognize the desiT lbii-
ity of giving Cabinet representation 10
the authority in charge OF these ad min
trative affairs under the commerce
clause.
The DOlliver Bill.
Take the one proposition of control
over capitalization of interstate carriers.
Senator Dolliver has pending a bill tc
impose this duty upon the commission
1t is an immense task legislative in
character. It is not \ proper duty for 4
judicial body. Yet the cheerful willing.
ness to impose it on the commission,
along with all the other duties of thai
body, illustrates the attitude toward this
body as q catch-an for uncomfortable
jobs. There is a deal of protest that
the commission is not a very competent
body; yet ii gets the work to do. IN
ever-increasIng quantities.