The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-05-28

Continued From Page One.
evidence, that all Of the steamship
lines operating on the New England
coast are owned or controlled directly
by the New York, New Haven g
Hartford system which includes all
rail n electric lines of consequence
1t would also require the Southern Pa4
cific to get rid Of its control, direct or
indirect, over the Pacific Mail SteamS
ship Co, etc.
In fact, this provision Of the Panama
bill is of the greatest Importance
Some men believe it will practically
compel railroads to keep their hands
entirely off steamships, whether CONS
petitive or not, their idea being than
every line Of steamships is in some
measure competing with railroads. For
example, a railroad operating between
an interior point and a coast point,
might W q line Of steamers that
served an entirely different territory
AT the same time, the steamers might
be in active competition with another
line OF railroad, Under the conditions
which are generally believed to apply
in the transportation world, it would
be a very simple matter for the rails
road-owned steamship line to ent~r inI
to a working agreement with the rail-
road with which it naturally should
compete, while If the ownership Of
the steamship line was wholly indepen-
dent of railroad connections and in4
fuences the competition would be real.
Another provision of the bill would
require the railroads to make through
routes and joint rates with connecting
non-competitive steamship lines, some-
thing that they are not now required
to do under the interstate
act. This is only another step in the
direction of requiring railroads to
cease their Determinations against wa
ter carriers, which In years past have
forced steamers off the inland waters
ways OF this country. The last amend-
ment to the interstate commerce act
was a beginning In this direction, and
the Panama bill zoe considerable
further.
On the whole, the democratic leaders
Of the house, and the republican lead@
ers, too, for the Panama bill was con.
sidered in a nonpartisan way If any
bill brought before this congress has
bCSIls 1CSl tndI LnSy ALG entitled Ito
credit for the passage of a good meas
lre. which promises to make ample
provision for the maintenance and op-
GRAFTON Of the Panama canal, and at
the sarne time. to require the railroads
of the country to recognize the right
of Independently owned steamships to
existence.
The bill marked a breaking OF party
lines IN every direction. There was d
large DETECTION on the democratic side
in favor of free tolls for American
ships in the coastwise trade and lower
rates for American ships engaged IN
the foreign trade. A majority 81 the
republicans present voted for free tolls.
while q good many Of them stood firTn-
w by Chairman Adamson Of the inter-
state commerce committee, whose biz
provided for the same tolls on All
ships using the canal. The progress
sive republicans also divided on fhis
Issue. some voting for free tolls ana
some against them. There were no
party lines on either side during the
consideration OF the bill, the obvious
desire of all members being to enact
legislation that would do the workn
ana 40 II we'll