The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-16
DS|NESs nANG|NG
On RATE DECISION
wNTv.EEGHr OTHER CASES ARE
PExD1NG ON DISPOSITION on
MINNESOTA CASE
COMPETITION is NIL
ezrn GOVERNMENT REGULATING
nArEs ANY scHooLBoy COULD
nE GENERAL MANAGER
or RAILROAD
soMPETITION is NIL
" THOMAS G. sHoTwEIAN

" NEW YORK, Dec. ls,---ntil the
Syupreme court Of the United States
d MEMBERS lis decision in the Mime
zorta rate cases, and thereby in
.ss1lenfaiiy decides twenty eight "ther
zzases depending or IL, j; is Impossible
III say whether railroad stocks should
'zhe purchased or sold 81 the present
}*1evels Questions involved in th0t case
.snrn fundamental and h3uld settle for
I'LL time the railroad policy Of the
#Tyngted States. If the court permits
he commissions and legislatures 90
&1nterfsre with railroad systems, only
r mail parts OF which are in each
state. the lot Of railroad stockholders
will he an unhappy one. Stock mar
LEI operators could easily bring ascHt
sS1efialation helping or hurting any par
@14cuiar stocks they wanted 10 mani
I8ousase In the market
sS The only safety lies III positive and
undivided authority by tho national In
" 4crstate commerce com mission. 13vH
That commission, although composed
mt hsgh toned men Of little experience,
needs some attention from the SUI
prefas court. The past record of th@
courts leaves little 10 ec furnished
IN this direction, hut on the Niew of
IRE general unssttlement OF the stock
sxnnt.l the court Is actually on record
nx8in.
No Brains to Run Railroad.
M II view OF the tremendous powers
vested by law in the Interstate COM
EzNnerce commission. that commission
|Mhak grown 70 he the most impoi.sn nj
NHrAnch of the federal government. II
$a1fects the daily lives OF the citi = ns
more than all the state, war and
navy departments pHr together BY
K1lE powers of regulating rates, com
#p<tifson among the railroads has been
A hnlirhed and II Is no longer i'm port
unit who owns the railroads, since.
they are to be operated by the gav-
IaArnment. All that the railroad II an
8AEers have the power to do is to say
|#3Fs~ what the particular line such
Equipments shall be made. Naturally
%shey select the shortest routes In
EVER sease. Therefore. it. is purely
u question Of knowing geography.
III Any school boy who is able 10
draw map Of the United States end
aocate thu cities rivers aad noun
NeAins ~ competent to be the gen
Hs1eaI HsasaaEst 81 -s'af= railroad system
M the United States. The financial
aenrld IS wondering whether the SUI
Sp-enae court OF the United States APP
Hpreres this arrangement. and some
ltg.it may be thrown upon II with the
sAfcIsion that Is awaited with so much
1nterest
Labor For Paetfic Coast.
M Under normal conditions the open
ing OF the Panama canal will be OF
kk~eat aevs rtaR~ to all the railroads
uf the United States and particularly
skhnse serving the Pacific coast. It
@NtH take several years. however. to
Nz1Averan ~ Panama traffic 0f gnfFiCf.rt
sNoiume 70 make any material 1iS-
k1erence. As much freight is crossing
The Isthrsus Of Tehuanepec, now per
ma pa. will go through the Panama
s2Nral and the railroads have prae-
Ideally IS rnWrh competition as they
$Ave~ will receive,
The value Of the Panama canal
docs not lie in the fact that i will
Anish connection. but in the Fact that
At will divert the cheap labor f~tin
Il StHrare that II now flooding the At