The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-05-04
COMMERCE COURT
BILL HAS FLAWS
DRAWN IN THE INTERESTS OF
THE RAILROADS, THINK THE
PROGRESsivEs.
THEY WILL PROTECT PEOPLE
Congressman FowIer's Able Speech
on Needed Financial Legislation
Limitation Of Speakers Pow
or Still Is Subject Of
Warm Discussion.

Or St''t Is subject OF
Warm Discussion.
Notwithstanding the speech q
Senator Root upon the commerc
court bill 1t became apparent that tn
railroad senators have a disposition
to improve the bill or have come tt
the realization that concessions ar
necessary to pass it through the sen
ate. The surface indications are tina
the railroad interests are becoming
worried over the fate of the measure
In it's present form but that does no,
mean that the struggle for additional
railroad privileges is abated.
Senator Root was forced to admit
that traffic agreements between rail
roads. which the administration bill
proposes to legalize, should be sub
1ect to the approval Of the Interstate
Commerce commission. The BILL as
1t came from the committee, did not
provide for such an approval This
admission Of needed amendment
was the greatest concession made thus
Tar In the debate as to the right OF
the contention of the Progressive SEN
ators. Even Senator Depew inter-
Tupted his colleague to volunteer the
statement that the railroad men of
the country are agreed that the ap.
proval of the commission should be
obtained before traffic agreements be-
tween the railroads become opera
tive, and that the supervisory author.
1ty OF the commission over all such
agreements should be exercised and
they should be subject to control so
long as these agreements continue.
Power Of the Commission.
IraH1c agreements are not freight
rates. The commission Is clothed
with authority to determine the rea.
fonableness of freight rates, but no.
where In the bill is the machinery
provided by which it can ascertain
what rates are reasonable and what
unreasonable. The reasonable rate Is
one that will return an adequate divi.
dend upon the value of the property
employed In the service. In order to
determine this, the body charged with
S~S~NA Se%AAA4iOAAC VI Iuc Idl6 uuSI
Know the value of the property. The
Dill reported from the house commit.
tee provides for a valuation of rail.
road property in certain instances and
Tor the purpose of determining the
amount of securities which should be
Issued upon that property in cases
where one railroad company buys the
property of another railroad company.
The Progressive senators and repre-.
sentatives are not satisfied with this
and believe that the commission
should have authority to value all rail.
road property for the purpose of de.
termlning what are reasonable rates.
Traffic agreements are instruments
IN writing to the effect that rates up-
on great number of commodities and
classlfications of freight shall be the
same over all the lines of railroads
entering into the particular agree
ment, and the instrument is not to be
binding until the Interstate Com.
merce commission has given it's an.
proval. The rates which are the sub
Ject of one of these agreements are
49, ~ AAAANo ~ OoNI IdlIlOdu DIS llS own |
and become effective Immediately
without regard to the action of the
commission. Under the bill the COM
can suspend a given rate for
Gu days, but it is manifestly impos.
s1ble In the cases where rates are
filed by wholesale for the commits.
sion to determine the reasonableness
Of all nf cy,oh
specified in the law and there would
be nothing for the commission to do
but accept the rates filed as reason
able, and traffic agreements which
would cover these, while the law
would make a pretense of giving con.
.rol, would in effect be nothing more
han legalizing whatever rates the
abroad companies choose to put into
effect under such agreements.
For more than a quarter of a cen.
ury the railroads have been fighting
or the privilege of pooling, and these
raf1ic agreements which the admins
ration bill provide should go into ef-
ect without exercise of supervisory
authority on the part of the commits
'AoA, anu "uICA ~ Is uOW dUm1LL0O -
should be subjected to such super
'isory authority, gives to the railroads
his privilege for which they have
oeen fighting
1t is evident that the purpose of
he railroad senators now is to make
show of conceding everything that
he progressives demand and then by
'unn1ngly wording the amendments
BY which 1t is proposed to grant the
concessions to nullify the concessions
and to put the bill into the form in
which the railroads desire It,
Fowler on Finance Reform.
Congressman Charles N. Fowler of
New Jersey always commands the
attention OF students of finance when
he addresses the house upon his ia.
vorite theme. AL Progressiyes do
not agree with him, but all concede
hat he has made an honest study of
he problem with a view to working :
out system which will p,ol,o $50,