The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-03-17
A PROTEST.

A PROTEST.
Against Proposed Changes In the Inter-
State Commerce Law.
A protest against changing the present
Interstate Commerce Law relating to
water routes has been filed with the At
torney General of the United States, by
Daniel H. Hayne of Baltimore. Chair
man of the Independent Water Line
Meeting, held at Washington, February
l. In explaining the position of the in
dependent shipping interests Mr.. Haynes
said:
''The present Interstate Commerce
law provides that water route can be
Joined in through route, provided no
reasonable or satisfactory through route
exists. In the proposed law the above
proviso has been eliminated, with the eff
feet of subjecting the local business of
all vessels to provisions of the Commerce
Act never contemplated by the people
and to an artificial regulation, prevent
ing the operation of natural competitive
and economic laws which regulate vessels
on free and open highways.
1.-The amendment proposed by the
shipping interests, which is contained in
the brief filed with Congress and the At
torney General, goes further than any
request which has ever been made by the
public in an endeavor to meet all public
requirements, and is intended to keep the
independent water lines free, under
natural laws of competition, and pre-
serve their present position and high
standard, good and satisfactory service
to the people, with reasonable rates,
lower differentials and their regulative
rate powers, and to preserve them
against a character of cheap irresponsible
competition which would either drive
them from the field, or lower their stand
ards of efficiency and safety which the
public demands.
''This being the first step over the line
of demarcation between land carriage
and water carriage. established by the
time honored policy of the people, its
final tendency is more likely towards the
complete effacement of the proposed law
as inexorably as night follows day.
1.-THE amendment further contains de-
finitive language seeking to make it
plain that the local business of water
line is not molested.
"Another provision of the amendment
makes it clear that the great statutes
passed in accordance with the policy of
all nations, to protect our merchant ma
rine, may not, by implication, be re-
pealed.
at is the view of those informed on
the difference between rail tr nsporta-
ton and water transportation, and the
unequal struggle of the latter under
present laws, that any further burdens
laid on the merchant marine would more
than neutralize the intense effort of the
American people towards its encourage
ment and upbuilding.
Mr.. Hayne further urged that the ten
dency towards interfering with natural
competitive and economic laws, where
there are no abuses to correct, is de-
structive; that natural and open high
ways should be as free to the people as
the air they breathe; that bound to this
principle are the vehicles Of transporta-
tion using such free and open highways,
which is God given union, one wholly
dependendent upon the other, in giving
their combined benefits to the people.
Such free water routes operate under
fundamental natural laws without un-
fair advantage or friction, and with their
evolutions toward higher and better
standard laws which cannot but be weak
ened by human Intervention.
1t was Mr.. Haynes opinion that the
temper of the American people has been
misunderstood, and in some instances
falsely interpreted, and that instead of
cheap transportation, with all its attend
ant Inconvenience and dangers, it was
prompt, efficient and above all safe trans
portation, at reasonable rates, which the
people demanded. That opening the doors
to the possibility of unreasonable and de-
structive cheap service, with unnecessary
competing routes, presents the same con-
ditions which threw so many rail lines
into receivers hands twenty years ago,
for community unable to support all
the lines running through their territory
suffers in the end by the struggle Of the
weaker ones for existence.
He was emphatic in the view That
although commission may be influenced
by the highest standards in serving the
people, the change Of personnel might
change a proper administration of the
law and that the law itself should first be
settled properly on principle.
1.-The effort constantly being made to
encourage and upbuild the merchant ma
rine, which in the deepening of channels
dlOHe w III run over pfo, UUU,UUU per year,
and other work along the same line, will
be of no avail without vessels unobstruct-
ed by hurtful legislation.
"To limit the free field of operation of
such vessel is such blow at the ancient
and present policy of the people that
legislation to that end would excite pub
lie amazement. The policy of the peo-
pie is to keep the vessel safe but to IA
cilitate her employment, and that it
seems to be the popular view that any
act or amendment of the commerce act
seeking to regulate one branch of the
service (the land carriers) should be kept
free from hurtful embarrassment to the
other class of service (the water routes)
service vastly more complicated than
that by land, and which is admitted as
the bulwark Of the people in reasonable
rate regulation, a more potent influence
than any administration of the law.
''That whatever may be the wisdom in
the further regulation sought against
the land carriers, water routes should be
left untrammeled by artificial laws until
the methods applied against the land car
riers pass beyond the experimental stage
and that any law touching water routes