The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-03
~ 10 - UUUB~ UUTW
He Would Have Commerce Back
on Waterways.
Protect Them From Unrestrict-
ed Competition of Railroads.
FEARS FOR RESULT.
People Might Not Welcome the
Radical Move.
Discusses the Question With
State Journal Reporter.

! to protect them against the unreStrlct-
| ed competition of the railroads is the
| opinion to which the members of the
! congressional commission on water
ways are fast tending. Senator Bur
ton has recently admitted that he Is
convinced on this point. but he has
serious misgivings as to whether the
country would favor the very Iegisla-
| ton which would accomplish the de-
/ sired result.
The commission is getting plans per-
fected for it's trip to Europe. and is
making up it's itinerary, securing APP
| pointments to meet authorities on wa
terways and transportation in general
| in the various countries which will be
! visited. and getting together all posi-
bic material which may be utilized to
| facilitate the investigation.
The commission has had its atten-
ton called particularly to the eX
perience of European countries in
which it has actually been necessary to
pass laws prescribing that railroad
rates shall not be made so low as canal
rates when the rail and waterways
compete. BY this means only has it
been found possible to keep the rail-
roads from taking all the freight, driv
ing the boats off the waterways-and
then advancing the rates higher than
ever.
Speaking of this matter. Senator
Burton expressed MS opinion TO Tile
State Journal correspondent that the
most important thing to be accom-
plished now, to reinstate traffic on the
rivers was to protect the: business.
But" he added, Il don't krOw whether
the country would view with favor the
effort to pass legislation which would
accomplish this purpose. Suppose. for
instance an act should be proposed
that the rate between st. Louis ana
Kansas City by railroad must not be
less than 120 per cent of the rate by
the Missouri river carriers, how would
the people of those cities, and of other
cities concerned. feel about it? An0
suppose like legislation we're proposed
for the route from St. Louis to New
Orleans What would be the effect?
THE railroads, of course, are able to
take the business away from the wa
ter courses if permitted unrestricted
competition: and besides doing this
they have in fact. bought control Oh
the water front realty, and made 1t i'm
possible for boats to secure landings
in many cities. [ am inclined TO the
heller that under present physical con-
ditions on the Mississippi that river
would make it possible to sustain q
profitable traffic by steamboats, II only
the terminals could be secured ana the
railroads We're not permitted to Drive
the business away by excessive com
petitive methods"
This expression of Senator Burton IS
regarded as of the highest significance
in Of
students of the internal waterways SIT
nation have been tending toward the
same conclusion. The congressional
commission is getting ready lot SOM
painstaking Investigations along TINS
line. e
adopted, would mean that protective
LEGISLATION for the waterway commerce
would precede efforts at phySlcal I'M
movement of the rivers. The expense
of the general scheme of river I'M
movement and canal building is SO
immense that it staggers Investigators:
Moreover. they find, as IN the case %
the Ohio river, that the more a stream
ie irnnrOved the less traffic it some
times hears All this has turned at
tentiOn to the possibility that leglsla-
ZION is the thing needed to curb the
connetitive methods of the railroads
The railroads advantage lies In the
fa ct that it can take freight for all
destinations and at all seasons.
simmer who has the privilege OF
choosing between rail and water may
desire to divide his tonnage. But the
railroad traffic manager can say 70
orovide cars for that part of the busl-
ness We will find it inconvenient to
provide cars for taht part of the bust
ness which you must move by rail or
leave unmoved. You must give US az
the business or your competitor VIII
beat YOU in those markets winch you
car only reach by rail We will see
70 that" This threat is enough to
settle the matter. When the boats are
thus driven off the rivers for want OF
business or fall into control of inter-
eSfe friendly to the railroads. the rates
90 mn and the competitive losses are
made back.
AS soon as the tariff bill is out of
the way Speaker Cannon Will make
some announcements which will cause
the house members to bark back to
the DAYS when the rules were being
fought and an effort made to defeat
him Those who were faithful will be
rewarded with desirable committee
appointments, and those who remained
in the fight from start to finish will
be finished.
soon after he had been reelected
the speaker declared to the friends of
anxious members that he harbored no
i'll will toward anyone. He expressed
his admiration for men who fight for
a principle and declared that having
been the victor he did not wish to
rub it in on the vanquished.
Committee assignments were tenn
norariIv forgotten during the tariff
discussion but now that the house is
on the eve of disposing of that meas
ure. members have been doing some
0uiet investigating, and they find that
the sneaker still has vivid recollec-
ton of his enemies in the rules fight
and he proposes to remind them that
they were on the wrong side by giving
them the most undesirable appoint
ments he can find.
In commenting on what will likely
happen TO Victor Murdoch of Kansas
when the committees are announced.
Frank Munsey's Washington Times
says:
Victor Murdoch of Kansas, unlike
most of the other Republicans in the
house. had only committee assign
ment during the Sixtfeth congress.
and present indications are that he
will lose that. He was a member of
the committee on postofffces and post
roads He 'insurged in the com
mittee room just as he 'insurged' on
the lclIsa and