Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-09-30
Continued From Page ~

that if it be found unreasonable It
should not be permitted.
| also invited attention to the COM
plant of the shippers that they did
not have the power to direct the route
to destination. recommended that
this be given them, subject to such
reasonable regulation as the commits
sion might prescribe.
Congress Acted on Recommendations
All these provisions in one form or
another we're enacted into the law.
In addition, the house of representa-
tives added to the jurisdiction of the
interstate commerce commission the
power to declare reasonable rates in
respect of telegraph, telephone and
express companies. A modification
was made in the senate regarding the
long and short haul clause which
gave more discretion to the interstate
commerce commission than, that which
1T had heretofore exercised under
the decisions. Of the supreme court.
The time during which the commits
sion could suspend the raising of "a
rate was enlarged to four months, and
after that, If nee essary, to six months
longer, instead of the so days which
! had recommended. had submitted
the question of the proper amend
ments to the attorney general and the
solicitor general, to the chief of the
interstate commerce commission, to
Commissioner Prouty and to Senator
Townsend, then member of the In
terstate commerce committee of the
house of representatives and | rec
commended to congress for inclusion
in the bill the provisions which they
recommended to me. The bill was en-
acted in the form in which have In
Dictated There were certain amend
ments that recommended that were
not approved. One was a recommen-
dation that no railroad company be
allowed to acquire stock in COM
peting railroad company, with such
provisions for existing arrangements
as would obviate confusion, and the
second recommendation in accordance
with the platform Of the republican
party, and the urgent messages OF
my predecessor, was that competing
railroads should be able to make tenn
porary arrangements for common
rates between common points with
out giving them any binding charac-
ter as contracts. It was thought by
congress, however, that this would
seriously affect the operation OF the
antitrust act, and it was not approved.
Another recommendation which l.
made was one forbidding interstate
commerce railways to issue bonds
and stocks without permission of the
interstate commerce commission. For
this provision was substituted a sec
ton providing commission to be ap-
pointed by the president to make
report upon the feasibility and wisdom
Of such provision, and that report
will be submitted to congress at the
next session.
think it is now generally conceded
by those who understand the operation
of the present law that the regulative
power of the interstate commerce
commission is sufficiently great to
generally the injustices to
shippers which gave rise to the de-
mand for legislation. Except the in
PRODUCTION of limitation as to the
power of issuing stocks and bonds,
do not think it wise to add to the
present statutes.
Roads Reconclled to New Practices.
The history of the operation Of the
interstate commerce act is interest