Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-12
Speech Introducing Railroad
Bill in the House.
KNOWN AS TAFT MEASURE
Representative Mann's Outline of
Benefits to Be Derived From
Proposed Legislation.

Inc opening gun In the battle in the
House over the administration railroad
bill, the feature Of President Tafts legis-
lative program, was fired today by Rep
resentative Mann Of Illinois, chairman of
the interstate commerce committee, which
reported the measure after thorough re-
vision of its text. The bill was origi-
nally introduced by Representative
Townsend of Michigan
Mr. Mann declared that railway trans
portation is an industrial necessity and
not a mere convenience.
with full realization he said, "of
the benefits and the necessity of wise and
successful management, operation and
progressive construction Of our railways,
we also realize that in the benefits which
they confer upon the people they are the
servants and not the masters.
Duty Of the Railroads.
1T is their duty to treat all persons
upon equal terms. 1t is their due that
they be treated with fairness and rea-
sonable consideration by government and
by the people, and it is our duty that they
shall treat fairly all those who deal with
them. and that they shall furnish with
reasonable diligence those advantages of
convenience and economical transpOrta-
ton for which they are constructed and
operated under favors granted by the
states
Mr.. Mann declared that the Elkins and
Hepburn laws were mainly effective and
had not been followed by the disasters
that had been SO freely predicted. Under
the wise leadership" declared Mr.. Mann,
of the great statesman now in the White
Housewife himself served as Judge on
the federal bench-in constituting and in
forcing the commerce act, we are now
considering propositions somewhat in adj
vance of those heretofore made into law"
Expedition and Justice.
Mr.. Mann said the bill would give
greater expedition to justice, greater ad-
vantages on even terms to all shippers,
greater security to those who care to in
vest their money in railway stocks or
bonds and greater protection to those
railroads whose arrangements desire to
operate them sufficiently in the interest
of the people who use them and the
stockholders who own them.
He summarized the propositions invOlv-
ed in the pending bill under three general
heads. These were: First, speedy de-
termination Of disputes by creation Of the
commerce court, with expert judges hav-
ing no greater jurisdiction than the cir
cult courts now have; second, charging
the statutory duties of the railways and
the rights of shippers, and increasing the
powers of the interstate commerce COM
mission, so that classifcations, regula-
tions and practice shall be just and
reasonable and enforceable as SUCH
whether affecting the rates charged or
not; third. regulating the consolidation
of railroads and their issues OF stocks
and bonds SO that competition may be
kept open as far as possible and rates
shall not be maintained unrea sonably
high in order to pay returns upon capital
nominally though not really invested
either in the construction or equipment
of the road.
Goes Into Details.
Mr.. Mann analysed the bill in detail. Its
provisions have already been published
He said among other things that it elimi-
mated secret agreements between railroads
as to classifications and rates by requiring
the filing of such agreements, but by not
advance approval of them by
the commission it avoided having ap
prevail construed as a decision favoring
the rates. He stamped the railroad tariff
sheet system as "abominable, compli-
Gated, unwieldy and unnecessary" add
ing that lie bill would aid in simplifying
this. Acknowledging that this provision
was not entirely satisfactory to the ship
pers, he explained that it at the same
time avoided opening wide the door to
rebates.