The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-16
The Railroad BiII.

faNnr OI we fsulrps1 legi~kttion nov
Ifnder debate m Washington /, that
Aftiscugh the railroads vigorously op-
pn~ed fhe adop, on Of Jhs HEPBURN law
and pTNSiictrd dire disaster IN case Of
les enactment that law has not worked
injury Lvcn the lunior senator from
New York j. e1nir~d IN this pItfsll The
tart Is that he railroads THAI j.. the
responsible railroad presidents. did not
;snisGoni1e tho Hepburn ball On the
e uonirarv. their -'igge-t IONS helped TO
give a. form.
What the railroads Did antagonize
I'VE years ago was the E-,h-TOWnsend
baL crude measure that could be ~
Interpreted a. % give the Interstate
commerce Commission absolute control
over railroad rates. When that bill OF
radical scope was driven through the
HOUSE AZ the snap Of the whip Of the
sGrcas Ringma-ter a SILVER ran down
The spine Of every railroad president IN
. he country. They we're not ready TO
have the administ ration of the railroads
taken ont 81 the hands al the directors
and oficers until the stock and security
holderS had been raid for their prop
srty. and they said - They pointed
out de, ,siOns rendered Nv Ihe Interstate
'cmFn~r-e Commission m eNcc~s Of IT,
authoy'v under tho Old law They
tpcinicd - dc,l.ions rendered by the
Interstate commerce Commission. such
- m the MAXIMUM rate "aSe. which
would have infirtei grave injury upon
the struggling railways uf the south
had Il not boon overr1ilei by the Su-
pTems Court They pointed - The fact
thar Tor MANY wears principal function
~ the Intcfstat Commerce Commi--
son was to'ryS,alllze popular prejudice
against certain economically Just but
generally misunderstood rate making
methods Of ne railroads into rulings
that we're -et aside by the supreme
Court after the clear demonstration nv
THAT hcdv If their injustice
1--WE wears ago II was seriously pro-
pc-ed 70 the Congrc-s that the decisions
q the Interstate Commerce Commls-
sson 10 made final and absolute The
railroads were a INIT IN antAgOnizIng
that proposition. asserting their night
- dsv IN Cour1 The salient feature
~ the Hepburn bill. introduced IN the
Hou-e after the failure of the Esch-
Tounseni and similar bulls IN the SEN
ate was 10 give the commission power
10 m 4 SPECIFIC rate 70 take the place Of
= rate compaIned of which the commis-
son found 80 be unreasonable The rail-
rad president, cho-en by the railroads
If the United states In express their
views a. that time repeatedly SAID that
rtlev had 49, objection 10 this power
borg given the commission. subject 70
F-'psal go the courts Such power with
Du' roHri appeal would doubtless be I'M
institutional. but still there was a long
debate a. - whether the right Of court
review should he written IN the bill. /
Provisions n that bill to strengthen the /
'sw against rebates and other under
hand practices were whipped into shape
y, Inc AID n the railroads themselves.
mo repeated reyersals al IL decisions
o. the Supreme 'o'ITt. the vigorous !
I"mIne;lng - which II had been sub !
cr-ed. together with the accrued ex-
terrence 81 ~ member. whose inherent /
desire % ~ what Is right under ihesr
ri-his : No. quest Oued have r..nds-d 10 .
eve rho in'er.'tie Commerce commits
ION a certain s0idi'y and stability.
1dnr no Hepburn law u has. been
- sonabi" N m" great INA Iority y; it,
ie'Is5on- 4 has done admirable work
ru bringing about a -ImDli'icat ION and
,r~femsi /i'i"n Il tarIh- n has abol-
i1icd certain pTa'ri'eS INTO whlch the
- roads h.,i hsen led nv excessive
'y!rpetltipn and from which thew ADJ
rIrontlv ,,o'Ild not free themselves. But
- has r"uders-i DECISIONS tina, in the
opinion - railroads and communities Z
4fc'fed would produce disastrous con-
. s'fiien'r- IN example - the Missouri
F.vrT rate 'a-e reversed nv the United
N,afes CiTr'ut and now before the SI-
l''rne court ~ whph tho ruling Of the
O. .rrur..'"r I'D have disturbed in
.,-tant ,Harr"iS 81 commercial d,str:-
t..iI0n 30 's't thar the great ,!ties
& :Ae AtDaurs -.-si,,,rd. 20 the Mis-,s-
. ppi NJNnF. J- VOL - ihN-e ~ the
iIs@our1 W, ~ have taken keen inter-
~ ~ the pTpgr'-s "f this ca@.. ~ alone
~ Accent mI-' h'stion for tho oontention
- ~" - .r'.id- 'h1t 'ha orders ~ the
= ,F1",i--,"u 10 -'ib Je,-t~i 20 the review
- 'hr rr'r-,9 " vR- N this contention
Q Isii fl"s Wrre vo,rferopS a. the time the
'ssp'Irr hill was undrv d'sc,Is-ion. NJ,
- 'rr"-ltr"n - ~" hiil m general
The In" disqst~v prsdicteA nv The
q. ilrrads ne vsars ago wa- thar which
wouid lSii"v an ov~rturninE 81 the
4reight rate structure ~hich has devsl-
coed " me@t commercial conditions. and