Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-01-14
IOWA RAIL COMMISSIONS OWN
ADMISSIONS SHOW SOME ONE
PLAYED DOUBLE.
HENRY WALLACE DISCUSSES
MEAT PRODUCERS CASE
Commissions Record as Corrected
Shows Two Conflicting Attitudes
Just How Report of Record on Hog
Rates Got to Railroads Not Yet Ex-
plained-Near Killing Whole Case.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 14.-Still more light
on the livestock rate muddle. and it is
apparent that the whole controversy
is going to play some part, at least, in
the political contest of the year
Harry Wallace, secretary of the Corn
Belt Meat Producers Association, has
returned. He has been in the fight
long enough and hard enough so that
he calls things by their right names
when he talks about it. Mr.. Wallace
adds some information making matters
still clearer.
The original case was about two
years ago and on Sept 10. 1908, he
submitted to the chairman of the state
railroad commission the various briefs
and arguments which had been filed and
asked the commission to participate.
Later the same year he wrote again
and was informed that the commission
would assist the shippers. Last Feb
ruary the commission took the matter
up with the attorney general and Mr.
Wallace was informed that there is
no reason why we should not be parties
to that application and give you all the
standing that the state of Iowa or this
commission can give" The commission
did Intervene. During the time between
the first action before the interstate
commerce commission and the reopen
ing of the case because the railroads
had not revised their rates as they
a 70 n 10
changed requiring the state commits
sion TO intervene and requiring the at
torney general to appear in such cases
At most of the hearings held a mem
Der of the Iowa commission was pres
ent. AT the last hearing, in Chicago,
Nov. 1, 1t was made known that some
members of the Iowa commission felt
that the hog rates to Chicago should
not be reduced because of the OPP
position of packers. The Iowa packers
mad in fact previously interviewed and
joined with the railroads Mr.. Wal
lace, speaking for the shippers, de-
clared that if the Iowa commission felt
that way about it there was nothing
left for it to do but to withdraw its
intervention entirely and explain its
position to the Iowa people. Nothing
further was said and the hearing pro
ceeded, with the commission and the
shippers represented
News Hurried to Railroads.
There was also at that time an I'M
derstanding arrived at that neither tho
attorneys for the shippers nor those for
the railroads should file any printed
argument. But Dec. 25 the stockmen
received a copy of an argument filed al
Washington containing the Nov 3 res
olution.
Neither the officers of the Corn Belt
Meat Producers Association, nor its
attorney says Mr. Wallace, nor so
far as know any other attorney con-
nected with the case was notified Of the
passage of this resolution; but it seems
TO have been hurried off to the at
torneys for the railroads and they used
| it in their printed statements"
The reason which the Corn Belt peo-
pie had for refusing to authorize with
drawal Of the case as TO the hog rates
was that while they did not expect or
desire any reduction of hog rates below
what they were when the case was or
iginally started, they did hope to pr
vent legalizing the advance in rates
which had been made. 1t was pointed
out that after the decision of the inter
state commerce commission that the
stock rates from Iowa ought to be re
duced, the railroads advanced hog rates
+ at more than 900 points in Iowa.
! Wherever they made any concession as
to cattle they raised the hog rates.
Hog Rates Most Important.
/ Now the hog rates, according to the
shippers, are more important than the
cattle rates in Iowa For the Iowa ship
pers to admit that the Iowa hog rates
on interstate business were all righs
and proper in every respect and trat
the rates as made under the advance
should stand. would be to admit that
cattle rates were about right Because
of this fact the Iowa commission was
told to either stay in the case as an in
tervenor or get clear out and not en-
barrass the shippers.
j Mr.. Wallace also points out one lit
tie matter which was discussed at the
hearing in Washington. In the reso,u-
ton of Nov. 8 last the Iowa commits
sion went on record AS having here
tofore concluded that the freight rates
on hogs, either Interstate or intrastate,
are not too high compared with sur
SldleS, ana tldl SIX weeks
later the same board made an entry
of record that this commission has
not given proper and full investigation
of the subject relating to hog rates.
The statement of Mr.. Wallace, to-
gether with that of Mr.. Eaton, closes
the controversy as between the COM
mission and the shippers. The points Of
disagreement are not important. The
record in the case speaks for itself. NJ
Wallace believes that if they had not
discovered the contents of the Nov. 8
resolution before going to Washington
and had been confronted with it for the
first time on the final argument, there
would have been nothing to do but to
abandon the case and return home.
However the discovery the shippers
made of the text of the resolution, ow-
ing to the too great zeal of some of the
opposing attorneys, which discovery
was made the last week Of December.
made it possible to partially correct the
record, and the manner in which the
incident was received by the commits
sion indicates that the shippers will
receive consideration for both the hog
rate and the cattle rate in accordance
with the evidence.
III