The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-29
TRUST-BUST|NG
WILL CONTINUE
tcontinued From First pake,


writing with a penalty for a failure t,
furnish It.
Il recommended that the commits
sion be authorized to act on it's own
initiative. as well as upon the com.
plant OF any individual respecting the
reasonabieness OF any rate or the
fairness OF any practice. and that the
commission should be empowered 10
pass upon the classification OF com.
oddities. as well as upon their rates,
that having been left in doubt under
the previous law
Il also invited attention 10 the in
furious delay of remedy which was
occasioned to the shippers whenever
unreasonable advances in rates were
made. The Interstate Commerce Com
mission might find the advance UNI
reasonable only after a long hearing.
and after 1t had gone into effect. and
after the unreasonable rates had been
collected for considerable period
suggested that the Interstate Com
merce Commission might have mower
TO suspend such an order for sixty
days and look into it's reasonab leness,
ana that IL it be found unreasonable
IL should not be permitted
invited attention also to the com.
paint OF the shippers that they did
not have the power TO direct the route
over which their shipment should pass
TO destination. 1 recommended that
this be given them. subject to such
reasonable regulation as the commits
sion might prescribe.
All Enacted Into Law.
all these provisions In one form
or another were enacted into the law.
In addition. the House Of Representa-
tres added to the Jurisdiction OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission the
power TO declare reasonable rates in
respect OF telegraph. telephone and
express companies. modification
was made in the Senate regarding the
long and short haul clause. which gave
more discretion to the Interstate Com
inerce Commission than that which II
lad heretofore exercised under the
decisions OF the Supreme Court The
time during which the commission
could suspend the raising of rate
was enlarged to four months, and af-
ter that If necessary. to six month.
longer. Instead of the sixty days
which / had recommended. had
submitted the question OF the proper
amendments TO the Attorney General.
aud the Solicitor-General. TO the chief
OF the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. TO Commissioner Prouty, and I'D
senator Townsend, then a member OF
the Interstate Commerce Committee of
the House of Representatives and
recommended TO Congress for inclu-
sion in the bill the provisions which
they recommended to me. The bill
was enacted In the form In which I
have indicated There were CERTAIN
amendments that | recommended that
were not approved. One was a recon-
mendation that no railroad company
be allowed to acquire stock In q COM
peting railroad company. with such
provisions for existing arrangements
n .h,-i Int
second recommendation In accordance
with the platform OF the Republican
party. and the urgent messages Of my
predecessor. was that competing rail-
roads should he able to make tenn
porary arrangements for common rate,
between common points without Civ
Ing them any binding character as
sress. however. that this would Sc.
riously affect the operation of the
antitrust act. and IT was not ap-
proved.
Another recommendation which
made was one forbidding inter
state commerce railways to issue
bonds and stocks without permission
OF the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. For this provision was substi-
tuted a section providing cornmis-
zion TO be appointed by the President
10 make report upon the feasibility
and wisdom OF such a provision. and
that report VIII be submitted to Con-
Eress at the next session.
II think II is now generally con-
cedcd by those who understand the
OPERATION OF the present law that the
rcgulativc power of the Interstate
Commerce Commission is sufficiently
great to remedy generally the injus-
tees to shippers which gave rise TO
the demand for legislation. Except
the introduction OF Limitation as
10 the power OF issuing stocks and
bonds. do not think It wise to add
to the present statutes.
The history OF the operation of the
Interstate commerce act is interesting
and instructive. Soon after the in
ception of the statute the railroads
began TO treat the Interstate Com
merce Commission quite contemptuous-
~ The system of unlawful rebates
was very widespread among them and
the neglect of the law was apparent
TO every one interested In ito opera
ton. This condition aroused the in
dignation of the people and pressed
their representatives on to further re.
strictions. Indeed 1t gave rise to
prejudice against the railroads from
which they have suffered In some
coses unjustly. Now. feel that they
have become reconciled to the facts:
they have come to recognize that the
public insists upon regulating their
business and seeing to 1t through the
Interstate Commerce Commission that
they do not violate the law I be-
lieve aud hope that the spirit OF win.
dictiveEess against these great ar
teries OK public commerce which the