The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1911-11-29
The River Press
Published every Wednesday Morning
bN the RiUer Press Publish
ing Company.
MUST REDUCE T

MUST REDUCE RATES.
When the news was flashed west
ward q week ago, that the court OF
commerce had upheld the constitution.
atty of the onR.and-short.haul
amendment, there vas rejoicing. 1t
was good news. It was news for
which the west had waited long. 1t lie
true that the courts decision, while
upholding the law itself, tends to up.
set the ruling of the interstate com.
merce commission made under that
law and affecting the freight rates of
this i~ntermountain country in which
we live. But appeal has been taken
to the supreme court and the question
is to be passed upon by that, the high.
est judicial body of the country.
Upon the outcome of this appeal much
depends, says the Muscular.
When congress amended the original
interstate commerce act, something
more than q year ago, by the pro.
vision that the railroads should not
charge more for q short than for q
long haul, it was hoped, by most peo-
pie, in Montana, that the railroads
would not contest the plain and equit-
able provisions of the new act.
It's provisions we're so fair and
equitable that eve traffic managers Of
the roads themselves we compelled
to admit the justice of the law. Their
argument had been that they were
compelled to make lower rates to the
Pacific coast terminals, because Of
water competition, which was in fact,
largely mythical.
But the argument OF the railroads
as to water competition could not ap-
ply to merchandise and commodities
shipped from the great points of dis.
tribution in the Mississippi valley and
westw ard, where there was no possible
water competition in sight.
The truth was that the populations
of the interior mountain states we're
numerically weak, and their few rep.
resentatives in the halls of congress
could not muster sufficient strength on
roll-call, as against the heavy men,
bership from the eastern states, back
ed up by the senators and congress
men from the Pacific coast states.
The sel6shness of the extreme eastern
and western portions of the United
States, as reflected by their members
of congress, at Washington, permitted
their own immediate territories to be
benefcially affected, at the expense of
the interior country and left the rail.
roads in complete control OF the sit
uation.
Freight rates and transportation
cost enter into the daily life OF every
citizen of Montana. The cost of every
article used, whether food, clothing,
building material, household furniture
and commodities of every kind, is
largely controlled by the cost of trans
portation. So long as Montana dis
tributing points are charged freight
rates equal TO the full freight rates to
the coast, with the additional shack
haul" charge added, it is impossible
to build up cities in the interior of the
country.
II the supreme court of the United
States sustains the appeal from the
decision of the m court, 1t will
mean o new dawn of prosperity fol
all the inter-mountain region. 1t viii,
mean a million dollars a year lifted
from the burden o borne by the citi
zenship of Montana, on present freight
charges alone.
When Senator Dixon first introduc
ed the amendment prohibiting trans
continental roads from ''charginl
more for the short haul than for tn
long haul" Senator Aldrich, Wit
was then leading the opposition to tn
measure, sneeringly remarked on tn
floor of the senate, that "Dixon wa
trying to substitute Missoula for Chi
cago." No act Of congress a wor|
q miracle in the natter Of the upbuild
ing of communities, but the passage Q
the "long and short haul amendment,
and the final upholding of its pro
visions by the supreme court OF til
United States will mean that Missouls
in common with other cities and town
of the west, will distribute commoditie
to its own people instead of dependin
upon the distribution from Chicago
and other great oenters of the east.
ROOSEVELT ON TRUSTS.