The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-03-31
BY Gibson Gardner.

WASHINGTON, d. c.. March
.31.-There's whole lot of grind
ing of teeth here over the first
steps of what President Taft has
announced will be reorganiza-
tion of the interstate commerce
commission, and a movement to
repeal some features of the Hep
burn rate law. To Atty. Gen. Geo.
&c. Wickersham the details of this
task have been turned over. Mr..
Wickersham is to be assisted by
Mr.. G. Nagell, the new head of the
department of commerce and
labor.
ITO protect business from heed
LESS and unnecessary interference,
and to do away, once and for all,
with those methods which have
brought disrepute upon good cor
Iporations as we'll as bad
In the above words Mr.. Taft
has outlined the purposes of his
enterprise.
Conferences have been inaugu-
rated between the attorney gen
eral, the secretary of commerce
and certain members of the house
of representatives and the senate.
Plans are entirely tentative as
yet, but the objects sought are ad-
lmittedly a transfer of the bureau
of corporations so that it will
come under the jurisdiction of the
attorney general, and stripping
of the interstate commerce COM
mission of its powers of prosecu-
ton and possibly those powers
which are in part Of judicial
character.
In all frankness It should be
stated that the good faith of the
whole affair is mistrusted. The
words in which Mr.. Taft declares
the purpose which he seeks to
look to many like plain repudi-
alton of the railroad policies of
his predecessor. Needless and
unnecessary interference with
business is not what members of
the Roosevelt cabinet told him he
was guilty of when he urged the
passage of the rate law. On the
other hand, that is exactly what
the railroads called 1t.
The bureau of corporations was
Roosevelt's earliest triumph. Its
work has been the one worst
thorn in the corporations side.
The criminal penalties in the pres
ent rate law are regarded by the
Incorporation lawyers as "heed-
less and unnecessary interference"
with much of their present and
contemplated business. The pow
ers of the Interstate commerce
mmission-powers which have
been used in wiping out rebates
and unfair discrimination and in
collecting considerable fines for
the government-are regarded
| likewise by certain corporation
lawyers as calculated to bring
disrepute upon good corporations
as well as bad"
With the division of prosecu-
lions of the interstate commerce
commission and the bureau of
corporations transferred to the
Jurisdiction of the department of
justice. and with the depart
ment of justice presided over by
1.-THE late attorney for j. p. Morgan
and late counsel for the Knicker-
booker Trust receivership Ito
wit, Mr.. Wickersham) and with
the details of railroad prosecu-
lions intrusted to the new solicitor
general, Mr.. Bowers, late general
counsel for the Chicago & North
western railway-an era of good
| feeling would dawn upon the rail-
way world.
1t may not have significance,
but 1t is WORTH recording that the
member of congress chosen to ne
lgotiate with the new attorney
general is Chas. e. Townsend, of
Michigan, once known as author
of the Townsend railway bill. Mr..
Townsend has of late, however,