The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-05-26
Declare Railroads Have
deceived Them as to
Their Plans.
USE NEW LAW
Railroads Were Going to Take
Advantage of Immunity
From Antitrust Act.

Washington.-The shipping, com
mercial, industrial and manufacture
ing interests of the country are pre-
pairing to make a determined resist
ance against the general increase in
railroad freight rates. The machin-
cry of the government will be used to
oppose the increases proposed if the
requests that are reaching the White
House and the department of justice
are needed.
Communications that have reached
the interstate commerce commission
during the last few days indicate that
the large shippers everywhere are
aroused over the program the rail-
roads propose to carry out unless the
government interferes.
Shippers assert that the proposed
advances in rates are wholly unwar-
ranted. They point out that an
analysis of the railroad earnings so
far filed with the interstate COM
merce commission indicates that the
operating income of the carriers for
the year ending June30, 1910, will be
an excess of 100000 900 over the
operating income of the roads for
1907, which was their banner year.
1t is, therefore, declared that the
carrier can not show any justification
for their proposed increase in freight
rates.
Says Increase is Not Needed.
Not only do the shippers feel that
there is nothing in the conditions to
support the advance in rates, but
they also assert that they have been
treated badly by the roads, and that
they have been misled since last
autumn. They threaten that in the
future their position will be different
with respect to pending legislation
designed to relieve railroad conditions
from what they have been hitherto.
They assert that the entire ship
ping and commercial interests &C
quiesced in the proposition that
agreements and associations should
be legalized, subject to the proper
regulation of the interstate commerce
commission, thus relieving the rail-
roads from the operation of the Sher-
man antitrust law. In this respect
it appears, however, that the rail
roads prepared at the first opportun-
ity to take advantage of the relief
they were supposed to obtain by the
passage of Section z of the act, to
make a radical advance, believing
that they would be free from prose-
cution under the Sherman antitrust
law.
The shipping interests are greatly
incensed at this ~treacherous action,
as they call it, and the consensus of
opinion is that hereafter the shipping
and commercial interests will refuse
associations and agreements and
to assent to the legalizing of traffic
make a strong and active campaign
before congress to prevent such re-
lief being given the carriers.
Effect Seen in Bill.
The threats of the shipping inter
ests seem to be far from idle In view
of the fact that Section Z and IL have
been stricken from the pending rail-
rooa Till on %hot tho rnhihitione Of |
existing law on railroads agreements
and mergers still exist.
The shipping interests are prepared
to put them to the test by demand
ing action from the department of
designed to obtain active pro-
ceedings against the carriers, both
the subject OF the trafic associa-
tons and agreements, and also on