Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-28
Senator BristoW Denounces
System Railroads Employ.
STATES AT THEIR MERCY
One Community Often Favored at
Expense of Another.
AN EXAMPLE OF UNFAIRNEss
Tucson, Ariz., Must Pay More From
New York Than San Fran
cisco is Charged.

Condemnfng the present system en-
ployed by THE railroads in making rates
as "high-handed acts Of tyranny" Sen
ator Bristow in the Senate today charged
the rail. Dads with oorrupting legisla-
lures, bribing conventions and controlling.
in some instances, the appointment Of fed
eral judges.
By the system. he contended. the control
Of the commercial fortunes of communi-
ties. cities and even whole states is
placed in the hands of a few men; and q
simple order from these men may destroy
the business Of one man established by q
lifetime Of labor or may wreck the pros
perity Of a community and thus destroy
the fortunes Of thousands.
Senator Bristow used a large map of
the United States to aid him in making
his points clear. and with a pointer he in
Dictated the routes about which he talked.
His remarks were begun yesterday after
noon and were concluded today.
Tucson Rate an Example.
To show the determinations practiced
by the railroads in their rates. Senator
Bristow cited many instances.
He first took up the case OF Tucson,
Ariz. saying:
THE rate from New York to Tucson on
wooden fabrics Is $3.50 per hundred. or
-. To more IMAM to Eli Paso. TnAt rs, the
people Of Tucson are charged $1.43 more
for the additional haul Of oI2 miles. Inc
rate from New York to San Francisco.
3.191 miles, or 569 miles farther than
from New York to Tucson, is So per
hundred-9O cents less than that to Tue
are charged 80 cents per hundred pounds
more freight from New York on the
clothing that they wear or the fabrics
that they use in their domestic and
.noustr.ai affairs than are the people or
San Francisco, though the railroad hauls
the traffic shorter distance by 500 miles.
In fact, however, the Southern Pacific
railroad, which carries all the traffic to
Tucson, actually hauls its San Francisco
freight 875 miles farther than that to
Tucson. that being the actual mileage be-
tween the towns.
ITO permit the Southern Pacific rail-
road to charge the people OF Tucson $1.43
per hundred more on through shipment
from New York than 1t charges FL Paso
IS indefenslbIe, and no system of rate
making which is responsible for such an
abuse should be tolerated by civilized
people, and under the law 1t should be
made just as criminal as is rebating to
private Individuals
Present System Intolerable.
similar character and concluded:
1.-THE present system Is intolerable. BY
it the railroads impose an unjust tax
upon the necessities Of the people. They
strange the natural growth of cities.
They tax arbitrarily one region Of the
country for the benefit of another. They
levy tribute upon the rich resources of
one community that they may favor an
other. They have driven the Independent
American steamships from the inland
seas and contributed largely in driving
the American flag from the oceans. They
have annihilated the great steamboat in
dustry which fifty years ago was the
pride of the nation.
But that is not all. In order to retain
the power that has enabled them to ex-
ercise these ligh-handed acts Of tyranny
they have at times used their enormous
wealth to corrupt legislatures, bride con-
ventions and control elections. They
have sought to and, in some instances. 1
believe, have controlled the appointment
of federal Judges. that they might have
undue influence with the courts. And
now, with an amazing effrontery and an
apparent confidence in their power they
are attempting by the enactment of tnis
bill not only to get out from under the
future operations of the Sherman anti
trust law. but to secure legislative i'm
munity from the crimes which they have
committed against that statute