The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-23
Opens Rate Conference in
Topeka With Sensational
Anti-Railroad Speech.
SAYS PLAN MEANS
GREAT RATE ADVANCE
Wants Interstate Commerce
Commission to Be Clothed
With More Power.

TOPEKA, Kan, Sept. Ex-Governor
W. R. Stubbs of Kansas outlined the
purposes of the interstate rate confer
ence in a rather sensational speech at
the opening of the session here today.
The governor declared that the rail.
roads of the country have combined
to advance freight rates on scale
never before known. He said that the
railroads of their own initiative had
opened up the whole question of ascer'
tanning the valuation of railroads by
the testimony of railroad officials be"
fore the Interstate commerce commits
sion. He asserted that the public de-
manded nothing short of bona fde val
uation OF ali railroad property and said
congress should Immediately pass a law
giving the interstate commerce com
mission authority to ascertain this val
uation.
Governor Stubs also deplored the
tendency of railroads to favor large
cities in the adjustment of rates.
In outlinging the purposes of the
conference. Governor Stubbs said:
Public Must Be Protected.
This conference was called to dis
cuss ways and means TO protect the in
terests of the producer, consumer, ship
per and the public generally In the
middle west from the advance in freight
rates involved in the most important
case that has ever been heard by the
interstate commerce commission. The
principal railroad systems OF the Unit
ed States have combined for the pur.
pose of advancing freight rates on
scale never before known in the his
tory of this country. In the case now
pending the interstate commerce com
mission is not considering the question
of the inherent reasonableness of any
specific rates, but is passing on the
general proposition as to whether the
railroads of the country are entitled
under present conditions TO a general
advance in rates. If they should so
decide and approve the rates now held
in suspension then their decision will
serve as a precedent not only TO pre-
vent any reduction in rates in the fu-
ture but to be used as a basis for IN.
ture advances of thousands of other
rates.
"The railroads on their own initia,
tive have opened up the whole question
of ascertaining the value Of all the rail,
roads in the United States. Railroad
presidents, traffic managers, and 9th
er high officials are giving voluminous
testimony tending to prove what they
claim to be the value of their property
in order to establish basis for greater
ed EnluRS TO WnlCu InPV COnIenu CNcY are
entitled under the law
Public Wants Fair Rates.
"The public demands nothing short of
bona fide valuation OF all railroad
property, and public officials, who rep
resent the consumer producer. shipper
and general public, will be criminally
negligent if they do not avail them
selves of this opportunity to go to bed.
rock and assist the Interstate commerce
commission 70 make searching and OK
haustive investigation, so as to deter
mine the actual value of all the rail
roads of the United States,
"If. upon Investigation. it is found
that the railroads are Justly entitled to
an advance freight rates no good
citizen will oppose paying such in
creased charoes as may be necessary,
but on the other hand, if the railroads
are now earning from 10 to 30 per cent
dividends on their capital stock. then
il is clearly the duty of public Off,
cials TO demand such reduction iu
freight rates as may be just and rea-
ton permit me to state that the supreme
court has expressly held in the New
York cases that per cent was a rea,
sonable and lawful return on the value
OF its property.
"Congress should at once enact n law
providing for the physical valuation of
railroads by the interstate commerce
commission. and this should be done be
fore any general advance in railroad
rates is permitted. There is no more
reason why badly managed, badly con.
structed. poorly rated and overcapi-
talized railroads should prosper than
why badly managed business of any
kind should be successful. and neither
the people nor the government have any
more responsibility TO this class of rail
roads than they have to i'll advised bust
ness onerations of any kind.
"The general policies of railroads
throughout the United States to for
large centers and build up great cities
at the expense of the rural communities,
is little less than a crime against civil
lization
"Such a policy robs hundreds of
thousands of children of their natural
right TO wholesome surroundings, sun
shine, pure air and healthy social con-
ditions. II also encourages abnormal