Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-06-14
LINES AGREE TO
RATE SETTLEMENT
COMPLETE AcoUIscENCE GIVEN
TO TERMS LAID DOWN
BY THE PRESIDENT.
STATEMENT BY WHITE HOUSE
TAFT Asks That I. c. c. Be Clothed
With Power at Once.-Bill Goes
to Conference, and stua-
ton Clears.

WdSuluSJOu, Juuc o. S lCSchs
furry as to the railroad situation is
thing of the past. The railroad presi-
dents went home; President Taft went
horseback riding and the railroad bill
went to conference.
The Eastern and Central railroads
agreed to withhold all proposed freight
rate increases until the new law be-
comes effective and after that to sub
init the reasonableness of the increases
to the interstate commerce commits
sion.
At the capitol things were not SO
pleasant. President Taft sent spe-
cial message to congress, telling of the
settlement he had reached with the
railroads, urging that the provision of
the railroad bill, which gives the inter
state commerce commission power to
Investigate and suspend new rates, be
made effective Immediately upon the
signing of the act rather than have it
go into effect along with the other
clauses which have 60 day limitation
following the executive approval of the
measure.
Paving "square Deal" Road.
The president did this as part Of
the agreement with the railroads by
which he promised them a square
deal" and speedy determination as
to the justice of their new rates.
He also did it to prevent the filing
of any new rates during the 60 days
ho< IL ~ ho oct ord tho
taking effect of the new law.
In none of his negotiations with the
railroad presidents has President Taft
suggested that there was any purpose
on the part of the administration to
apply for dissolution of the various
trunk line associations. At the same
time there has been no intimation that
any part of the railroads would be
granted immunity from the operations
Of the Sherman antitrust law.
During the conference the question
of the ability of the interstate COM
merce commission to dispose of all the
new rates within the next II months
was freely discussed
President Taft expressed the belief
LHdl luc plCSchI ldCCS gave q bloio LII
comparison which would not require q
great amount of time.
President McCrea offered the sug-
gestion that as there are certain basic
rates which form the foundation for
all the other thousands of rates, that
the disposition of the basic ones might
not require such a great length of
time. Once the basic rates are fixed.
the others apply almost automatically.
The statement issued by the White
House at the conclusion of the confer
ence was as follows:
AT the invitation of the president,
James McCrea, president Of the Penn
sylvania company, with Judge Massey.
general counsel; w. c. Brown. presi-
dent of the New York Central lines,
and w. w. Finley of the Southern rail-
way, met the president at his Office
for a conference with respect to the
proposed advance of rates which had
already been filed by the trunk lines
and central freight lines with the in
terstate commerce commission to be
effective July and thereafter.
"At the conference it was agreed
that If the amendment recommended
in the message of the president this
morning to the pending railroad bill
was adopted and if the bill became
law on or before July 1, no agreement
was necessary to bring the rates in
question before the interstate COM
MERGE commission for investigation
and decision, before they became eff
fective.
But it was further agreed that if
the enactment of the railroad law was
deferred, or it should otherwise be-
come necessary, the railroad compan-
les would submit the proposed ad-
vance in rates to the interstate COM
MERGE commission in accordance with
the provisions of the new law"
House Nearly Accepts It.
When the bill was brought up in
the house, that body almost accepted
it, missing the contamination by the
slim margin of six votes. The vote
came on motion of Representative
Lenroot, an insurgent Republican Of
who moved to concur in the
senate amendments with an additional
that section of the bill,
increases in railroad rates
to be submitted to the interstate COM
merce commission in advance, became
effective.