The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-04-22
CUMMlNS SPEAKS AGAINST PRO-
VISION OF RAILROAD BILL
ON AGREEMENTS.
SEES ULTER|0R MOTIVE
Declares that Section Would So Affect
Existing Laws AS to Enable Roads
to Fix Their Own Rates Without
First Submitting Them TO the Inter
state Commerce Commission.

Washington. April 2l-Trafflc agree
mcnts consumed the entire time given
by the senate today to the railroad
bill and they We're under consideration
cummns held the floor throughout.
He spoke against the section permit
ting such agreements and against the
Crawford substitute for H.
Declaring his intention of denounc-
my any legislation that nullfied the
antitrust Law as this provision did,
he said the ultimate purpose of the
legislation was 10 ALLOW the railroads
10 fix their own rates without first
submitting them to the Interstate
commerce commission. Without the
establishment of rates any traffic
agreement must be vague and OF lit
tie effect
II was difficult enough for the COM
mon people To- stand against the ag-
gresslons of one railroad. 10 stand
against those of 10 To 20 or 30 would
be more difficult still If the rates
were not to be approved in advance
by the commission. then there would
be no substitute for the antitrust act
and that, he said. WAS the difficulty
between the Crawford amendment
and his own,
II was not true. az had been stated.
that President Roosevelt had advised
the unconstitutional repeal of the an
ti-trnst law nor that the interstate
commerce commission had done So
The question at issue" he said. ''is
/ shall the agreed rates or the railroad
companies go into effect without the
approval of the commission"
Mr.. Aldrlch interrupted He as
serted under the terms of the amend
ment the rates that might be specified
| IN an agreement went into effect "a
did individual rates and did not go
into effect by reason of the compact.
Mr.. Crawford said this was not his
understanding. His opinion was the
provision would require approval of
the agreement before the rates took
effect. Mr.. Aldrich said that by none
of the propositions of the bill could
rate be fixed by an agreement. be.
cause all of the rates must be sub
ject To the control which the commits
sion had over their rates
You propose by Indirection to give
the commission the right indefinitely
10 suspend rates-to suspend them
forever II II so desired"
Replying. Mr.. cummlns said his
complaint was against the permission
To the railroads 10 enter into agree
ments that may become effective.
without the prnxInna anpratsat - -.
commission. In such agreements he
argued. there was no opportunity for
individual Initiative. The two classes
of rates could not be placed on the
same level and he urged that II the
anti-trust law was to be repealed. a
better remedy must be found than
that provided by the bin as 1t stood.
Mr.. Elkins said Mr. Cummlns' con-
tenilon for approval OF rates in ad-
vance was impracticabe and absurd.
lie said that from 5000 TO 10000 peo-
Pile were now employed by the rail-
roads In establishing rates and he as
serted that the interstate commerce.
commission must have great force
Of experts to carry out Mr. cummins'
idea.
Il ann not ready 10 stand here and
destroy the entire freight traffic struc-
ture Of The railroads. he said. and
! do not believe the people demand
we should do So"
He said he did not want the anti
trust law repealed but he did desire
To assist in relieving the executive
of the embarrassment they find Them
selves under in enforcing the law.