The National tribune., 1910-06-16

1y came to Washington. They were s..
NJ. FELTON,. President of the Chicago &
Great Western; Frederick +. Delano,
President of the Wabash; F. p. Ripley,
President of the AtChison, Topeka &
Santa Fe. The upshot of a four hours
talk at the White House offices with
President Taft was an agreement to
withdraw the increases, which, as
matter of fact, covered only about one
half of one per cent of the tonnage
carried by the "a Western railroads be-
tween Missouri and Mississippi River
points: and in return the President and
Acknowledgement Wickersham agreed
to withdraw the injunction proceedings
before the District Court at Hannibal,
Mo. This was only preliminary. Tho
railroad officials intend to file these in
creases anew and also to file many more
ncreases-increaSeS. covering about 10
per cent of their tonnage. But they will
not do this till after the new railroad
law has gone into operation, so that
the Interstate Commerce Commission
ers may have all the advantages of that
law in taking up those increases and
determining whether they are just and
reaSona BILE.
And right after the conference with
the Western railroad officials there
came TO Washington President w. c.
Brown, of the New York Central, and
President James McRae, of the Penn
Sylvania They had a talk of about an
hours duration with the President, dur
ing which it was agreed that those
roads. and. in fact, all the Eastern
roads. should not put any rate increases
into operation till after the new rail-
road law had gone into effect. The
agreement covers practically all the
railroads of the country. The Admin
= h,
drawn the injunction proceedings in
Missouri, and will not do so till after
the new law is actually in operation,
but the agreement stands nevertheless
Intend to Increase Rates.
Railroads in all sections of the coun-
try intend to increase their rates for
hauling interstate freight and it is only
q question of a few weeks before the
Interstate Commerce Commission will
be in the midst of a very big task in
whether these rates shall
stand. 1t may all lead to big battle,
altho there is an impression that the
whole matter will be settled amicably.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
ers, who usually adjourn about July l
for the Summer, are preparing to tackle
the job energetically.
The advantages which the Commits
sioners will have under the new law in
finding out whether the new rates are
just and reasonable should be referred
to in some detail AS the existing law
reads the Commissioners cannot orig
mate inquiry into the reasona bleness of
any railroad rate. They can act only on
complaint filed by shippers or other in
terested parties. The new law which is
being finished in conference gives the
Commissioners authority to originate
Investigations. without regard to COM
plants by shippers, and also authorizes
them to suspend such rates for a con-
period of time. The new act,
as it passed the Senate, allows increases
in rates to be suspended for 120 days,
while the Commissioners are conduct
ing an investigation, and then, in their
discretion, for six months longer. The
duration of suspension will at least be
120 days in the new law. That is a
power the Commissioners have never
had before, and 1t is regarded as very
important in the present controversy.
There will be big batch of filings
about July /, and the Commissioners
will then be able under the new law to
say whether those increases shall con-
tinue in force while the reasonbleness
of such increases is being Investigated.
1t Is understood that the Commission
will probably suspend such of the in
creases as promise to affect materially
W
ply Where the increases are of COM
minor Importance the Com
will not suspend them. The
outcome of the inquiry will be watched
with keen interest, for it is the most
important undertaking in the history
of Government regulation of interstate
transportation. The new law will also
several other provisions facill-
tating the inquiry. Among other things
it will probably place larger burden
of proof upon the railroads than has
ever before been required.
A Parliamentary TangIe.
Right on the heels of the White
House talks with railroad Presidents
and the agreements resulting therefrom
came a nice little combat between the
Senate and the House over the enact
ment of the new law. The House passed
its railroad bill several weeks ago. The
Senate passed its railroad bill Just be-
fore the talks were held with the rail-
road Presidents. On the supposition
that the bill would go into conference
the Senate leaders accepted a number
of radical amendments with the inten-
ton OF dropping those amendments in
Thus thsy avoided some
debate and contention. The Democrats
and insurgents in the House promptly
started a campaign for the acceptance
motion to recede and concur has high
privilege. The President wanted a pro-
vision allowing the law to become i'm
mediately operative instead of in so
days, as both the Senate and the House
had provided. The motion to recede
and concur was made in the House.
with a proviso that the law should go
into effect at once. The regulars made
a spectacular fight to send the bill to
conference. and they won in the House
by vote of 1852 to 1876.
Four Tammany Democrats and two
Democrats from Alabama saved their
bacon for them. These six voted for a
conference. There has been a lively
struggle in conference. where the Re-
publican conferees are all regulars The
next interesting chapter will come after
these conferees have made their report
as they are expected to do before the
end of the week.
The Youngest Soldier.
John D. Alexander, Bedford, Ind,
claims for his company of the 9th Ind.