The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-10
WEAK RESISTANCE
BY THE RAILWAYS
When the Interstate Com.
merce Commission Issues
Any Ultimatum.
BY SIDNEY EsPEY.

SsSSeS eoS .
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-Little re-
sistance is made by the railroads when
the Interstate Commerce Commission
issues some general order concerning
the operation of the roads, or makes
it imperative that they shall observe
working hours for their employees &C
cording to the hours of labor law.
Much of the bitterness that existed in
former times between the railroads
and government regulation through
the Interstate Commerce Commission
has ceased.
Decisions of the United States Su-
preme Court have had a great deal to
do with bringing this about. The ten
dency of these decisions is strongly in
the direction of the proposition that
interstate railroads must in, all sub
stantial respects be subject to one
power The court now manifests a
more decided tendency than in former
years to hold that regulation of inter
state commerce falls within the pow
er of the commission.
simpiifies Problem.
The stand which the supreme court
has taken has simplified the railroad
problem to a great extent in this coun-
try. By setting up that congress,
rather than the states, has the right
one rule to govern all the railroads
in the country. If it were left to each
state to regulate interstate commerce
there would be no uniformity and
what was legal in one state might be
illegal in a neighboring state. Each
state would have a plan of regulation
probably different from any other. In
some states such drastic legislation
would be enacted that it would be
harmful to the roads. In others prac-
tically no steps would be taken to
remedy existing evils.
Even the most ardent supporters OF
the state rights theory do not dispute
the right of congress to regulate inter
state commerce, but congress does not
presume to take away from the states
the right to regulate railroads operat
ing within their boundaries. The SUI
preme court has held several of the
rate laws passed by state legislatures
valid, and the railroads have been
forced to comply. s-
Some Of the states have made little
use of their power, and others have
made too much use of their power, &C
cording to the roads. Since the su
preme court has established the rul
| ing that congress is not oversteppine
| it's prerogatives in regulating the rail
roads, the railroad problem has los,
much of it's seriousness.
Dangerous Proposition.
Several years ago the problem o.
the railroads loomed up as a danger
Gus thing to tackle. The railroads, by
federal aid. had grown until they haG
almost unlimited power. 1t was il
their power to make or destroy com
munity at their pleasure. If a certain
section of the country incurred theil
displeasure, it was not long before the
community began to feel the wrath
of the railroads. All that was neces
sary for the railroads to do was tc
make a discrimination of rates il
favor of some nearby section, and i
was not long before the offending sec
ton found itself cut off from the com
mercial world. Nor were the roads
slow in making use of their power
Things came to such pass that con
gress was forced to act.
The first efforts of congress to regu
late the railroads were bitterly Tough
by the roads. Public clamor agains
the railroads was so loud that con
gress took encouragement and became
holder.
| The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion was established, and it has gradu
ally worked up to it's present powers
The railroads today recognize it's au
thority, and offer no resistance to its
rulings. Today the commission holds
a firm hand over the railroads and
has allayed the cry of government
ownership if there is proper and effec
tive government regulation. The gov
eminent thus escaped the responsi
bility of the operation of the roads
and enormous expenditure necessary
to acquire them.
| State acts and regulations prescrib
ing maximum charges for the transpor
tation of passengers and freight have
caused much of the litigation between
frequently been declared unconstitu
tional by the Supreme Court, on the