The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05
SENATOR CUMMINS
TALKS ON RA|[W WAYS
Work of Commerce Commits
sion Is Commended
REGULATION OF RATES
Iowa Man Discusses the Slow Process
by Which the People Have mt
Last Reached Part Con-
troll of Railroads

New York, February Ain a speech re-
Inarkable for frankness and directpess
Senator Albert B. Cummins of Iowa, a
state commerce, told the Republican club
here today what an important work tho
Interstate commerce commission is per-
forming for the people and how the man
ner and trend of that performance are
bound to make themselves deeply felt in
the structure of our future government
and the articulate expression of the ma
tional consciousness.
AS he spoke F. d. Underwood, pres
ilent of the Eric railroad, and B. r..
Yaokum, chairman of the Chicago Rock
Island and Pacific Railway company,
listened with attention.
The senator reviewed the earlier prob
lem of production with which the COM
panion problem of distribution, lie said,
had kept such laggard pace that the
foremost concern OF every man, woman
and child had now become to see how
''he or she may get fair share Of the
product of his or her work" He sum-
married the struggle of the people. acting
through Congress. to gain control of one
phase of distribution-that part assigned
TO the railroads. The slow and painful
progress Of that struggle, he thought a
forceful argument of the initiative
Does anyone believe" he asked, that
if the people had possessed the initiative,
they would not have obtained what they
wanted in less than nine years. that is
the reason that / foresee such change
i'll our form of government
Regarding physical valuation, capitali-
cation and the rates charged by the rail-
roads, the senator declared:
IT do not say that the capitalization OF
railroads represents more than the value
OF the property, but do say that 1t rep
resents millions more than the capital in
vested. Possibly the commission may
enter on this almost continuous work of
supervision and regulation.
"One thing to do, and+tha Immediate
ly, is to extend the federal power over
all railroad capital engaged in the bust
ness Of common carriers SO that there
shall be not dollar that does not rep
resent either honest investment In old
property or enlargement and betterment.
IT insist that capitalization has some
thing to do with rates. capitalization as
a whole determines sales. It Is idle to
assert otherwise. believe that valu-
alton of railroad property will be made.
but II is work of long duration and
in the meantime the government should
impose restrictions upon any further dis
honest capitalization"
The regulation of rates, continued the
speaker. was the regulation Of competi-
ton, task which Congress had also
shouldered in passing the Sherman act.
| which he added; has not accomplished
its end
In place of competition, for which the
people had declared, had been substi-
Iuted selfish cooperation between
classes, unions, syndicates, cooperation
| to increase the wealth of those engaged
in the particular enterprise"
Cooperation in the hands Of altruists
thought the senator, might be good
thing. but suppose 1t should eventuate in
| prices that the consumer refused to pay?
THAT being true" he deduced, some
government tribunal must besentrusted Ia
Tx prices and then we shall be compelled
| to restore full competition, or allot a
| price for all commodities and every mans