The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-12-11

He pointed to the distinguished jus
tees opinion in the Sugar trust case
when he pointed out, as the mino -its
of the court, that If the Sugar trust
were allowed to go on its way, there
would ultimately be a Lumber trust, a
Meat trust. a Steel trust, and all sorts
of other trusts in this countryi
Those great combinations were not
then suspected, save in the processes
of such a mind as that of Justice Har-
Ian; but they have all come The dis
senting opinion in the knight case
reads today like prophecy
a very like tribute might be paid
10 Commissioner Charles A Prouty's
service on the Interstate Commerce
Commission He began that service
fourteen years ago. During the earlier
years of that service, the commission
was a joke; a comfortable resting
place for favorites and lame ducks.
There were no powers and no duties,
and the people who wanted neither
powers nor duties reposed in a com
mission dominated all proposals for
legislation.
Commissioner PrOuty was irked at
this condition. He learned that there
was very real need for a commission
that would command respect and do
things. He went about the country
speaking in favor of giving the com
mission power TO 10 the things that
needed to be done He wrote articles
for the Teviewsy he took more than
once the chance of dispIeasing the
powers and losing his position. But
in the end he was indicated; the
country awoke to realize that real
regulation was both desirable and
necessary, and more than anybody else
he helped to frame the right kind Of
law when the time came, under Roose-
welt, for the enactment Of law. It Is
no secret that in the main he wrote
the original draft Of the Hepburn regu-
Iation act More than that, his tes-
timony in the hearings Of the Senate
Interstate Commerce Committee was
the strongest presentation ever made
by public official OF the need for
more legislation.
Long before the commission had ade-
quate powers Mr. Prouty tried to do
as much good as possible with such
restricted and shadowy authority as
it was able to claim. He saw the
regulation question from the side OF
the public, and IN time he won the
public, and then me railroads in large
measure, to see it in the same way.
He has been the tribune Of the ship
per, of the business interests
In the fuIlness Of experience and Of
recognition for his excellent service,
Mr. Prouty has now made a most
unusual sacrifice to his sense Of duty.
He las declined, when it was offered
10 him by the President, the position
Of chief justice Of The new Commerce
Court 1t is an honor that any law
yer might covet, and very few would
decline. Mr. Prouty doubtless was fully
sensible Of the compliment paid to
him His tastes and professional ex-
periense peculiarly fit him for the
post. Yet he declined to accept the
hatteIng promotion because, as he
viewed it, his greatest usefulness must
be, in the years he has yet TO serve,
in the place he now occupies There
fore he frankly told the President
that he would rather continue com
missioner than be chief justice.
There are not many records Of such
sacrifice of ambition and opportunity.
Without doubt, Mr. ProUty is right
in his belief that he VIII do more
useful work where he now Is But
how many men would have sunk per
sonal interest for the privilege of Civ
ing that service to the public? 1t is
an incident worthy OF more attention
than it viii get, and of the emulation
Of other public servants
SYSTEMATIC CITY BUILDING
BADLY. NEEDED.