The Irish standard., 1910-06-18
r. R. Bill Will Pass in Spite OF the
Protest of Democrats and
Progressives.
Railroads Are Largely Responsible
For Increase in Cost of
Living.
The Advance in Cost of Government
is Shown by Figures and
Comparisons.

Washington, June 16.-1ndications
are that Congress will pass, over the
protest of Democrats and Progressives,
a railroad regulation bill that will not
provide for a physical valuation of
railroads.
The millionaire colony of the Senate,
some of the members of which own
stock in railroads, fought desperately
to kill every physical valuation amend
ment proposed.
A physical valuation would expose to
| the country the extent to which rail-
road stocks have been watered, and
would therefore, tend to prevent over
capitalization in the future and pave
the way for reasonable freight and
passenger rates, This is why the rail-
| roads fear it.
| Physical valuation was recommended
by Roosevelt time and again. This, by
the way, is at least one Roosevelt pol
| icy that Mr.. Taft has deserted cold
! bloodedly. Taft has raised neither
voice nor pen on behalf of physical
valuation, and it is understood that the
| idea is antagonistic to his pro- railroad
temperament.
Yet the Supreme Court, in the Ne
braska rate case, held that "the basis
of all calculation as to the reasonable
| Of foc 1o foi, o1,,o
of the property being used for the con-
venience of the public"
AS progressive legislation, railroad
regulation bill without provision for
physical valuation, is a farce.
| The national Democratic platform
of 1908 declared in vigorous language
for efficient supervision and rate reg
ulation Of railroads" and to that end
strongly recommended the taking of a
physical valuation by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
But when it is considered that Har-
riman contributed $2600OO to the Re-
publican campaign fund on behalf of
the railroads, that probably numerous
other railroad magnatesr advanced
equally large sums, and that the very
bill Congress is about to place upon
the statute books was originally drawn
in New York and submitted to the rail-
road interests before being introduced
in Congress, it is not so strange that
the physical valuation amendments re-
ceived their death stabs even after
passed by a goodly majority in the
House of Representatives.
Oh, American people, you must be
more vigilant than you are if you
would continue to deserve the title of
patriotic people!
The part railroads and trusts play
in boosting the ever-increasing cost of
living is set out in detail in a report
recently issued by committee of the
Ohio legislature which thoroughly in
vestigated the subject.
Unfortunately, but an exceedingly
small proportion of the people will ever
know what these investigators found.
The press associations, which are in
clined to give the capitalistic side of
economic problems, seem to have en-
tirely missed some of the most strik-
ing conclusions of the Investigators.
perhaps the greatest cause of the
advance in prices" reads the report of
the investigating committee, "is the
failure to enforce the laws There are
countries where bad laws are not
strictly enforced, but the United States
stands alone in it's failure to enforce
its good laws.
There are laws covering almost ev-
cry form of plundering, but owing to
the ignorance of the masses, the in
difference of the wealthy and the in.
activity Of the executive branch of the
government commercial plundering
goes on, not only unpublished, but I'M
| lISCuCO. l. lie ClllCkGll LNl0l Is sent TO
the penitentiary, but the respectable
price maker is honord by his fellow
citizens.
| 1.-The trust movement is doubtless
the great cause of advance in prices
1t began as an effort to eliminate ruin
Gus competition, and it has gained such
momentum that all competitors en-
gagged in manufacturing or distribute
ing foodstuffs have formed :,ssocia-
tons, pools. or leagues, numbering
more than $4,000 of all kinds. Thev
wage war in various and all ways
necessary to accomplish their purpose
to fix and maintain artificial Prices.
! Government costs enormously too
much in this country, for the data of
1902, the last obtainable, show that the
disbursement of national, state and
local governments that year were ST.