The Springfield herald., 1913-03-21
NOTABLE VICTORY
FOR THE PEOPLE
upsetting of Western CIassifica-
ton 81 Means Much.
RAILROADS LOSE BIG CASE
Chairman Thorne Of Iowa Commits
sIon Tells How the Shippers and
Consumers Of the West Bene-
fit by the Decision.


Consumers Of the West Bene-
fit by the Decision.
Des Moines. Ia, March 13.-The peo-
pie Of the United States have had
Iowa to thank for q number of ex-
cellent things. .snd to the list must
be now added an achievement that
means great deal to the shippers OF
the entire west from the Mtssisippi
to the Pacific. Especially are those
shippers under obligations to the Iowa
state board of railroad commissioners
and its chairman, Clifford Thorne.
This achievement is the suspension
and revision, by the interstate COM
merce commission. of an entire freight
classification. known as Western cias'
sification No. 81, and on March 81 the
several hundred changes made to con-
form to the commissions order Will
go into effect. Shippers and consum-
ers alike will benefit by the revision.
Iowa Leads the Fight.
1owa's commission was by no means
alone In the good work. but 1t took
the initiative in the case and assumed
the chief part of the burden Of pre-
pairing and trying it. Sixteen western
state railroad commissions united IN
the fight, and Mr.. Thorne was the
chairman of the committee represent
ing them. He gives much credit to
Benjamin L. jacobson, who had gen
eral charge of gathering the evidence
and preparing the specific cases for
trial. and to A. d. Beals. Iowa's rate
expert.
Mr.. Thorne today had this to say OF
the big case and its outcome:
One day during the summer OF 1911
was seated in a hotel parlor in NIL
waukee In one end of the room there
were sixteen men In their shirtsleever
talking and listening occasionally tc
person standing In the center Of the
room; two or three minutes were al
lowed to the gentleman talking; he
took his seat and another person told
short story; and SO on. during the
course of the whole day.
Powerful Group Of Men.
This small group of men exercised
more power than any other similar
group, perhaps. in the United States
Some nine hundred railroads. large
and small, interested In traffic be
tween the Mississippi river and the Pa
cific coast, have organized what they
call western classification commit
tee of about eighty-f1ve members
These eighty-five men have selected a
snb-committee OF sixteen men. This
subcommittee, which is dominated by
one or two individuals. determines .tha
freight ratings on over 1000 artie4es
. on which 35.O0O.0O0 people have to
pay traffic between about 10000
towns, located between the Mississip
pi river and the Pacific coast. Thii
: Is one OF the three important classifl
cation committees in America. the
other two being the Official. covering
the northeastern portion Of the Unit
ed States. and the Southern.
For the first time in the history ol
American railroads an entire classil
cation of one of these three grea'
freight classification committees has
been suspended by the federal govern
ment. And the committee have de
scribed has been making revision ol
its former work, In accordance will
the decision which was rendered b,
the interstate commerce commission
recently, known as the decision in this
case of Western classification No. 81
The railroads have Just submitted t.
the commission a list of several hun
dred changes in this classification Il
conform to the commissions order, ,ant
these will go into effect March 81
The opinion in this case, next to the
one rendered In the express case, Ii
perhaps the longest ever written By
the interstate commerce commission
The case is of national Importance
Many of its features are unique. ant
of profound concern to the consumer
OF the country. .+, L.a.:- rs
Sixteen States United. ~
MANY shippers and shippers or
ganizations were parties to this case
But perhaps the most interesting fen
ture was. the fact that on behalf O
the consumers the railroad commits
sions of sixteen great states appear
ed. These states were Illinois, Wis
consin, Minnesota. Iowa, Missouri
Arkansas, Louisi Texas. Okla
homa. Nebraska. South Dakota. Nortf
Dakota. Colorado. Nevada, Washing
ton and Oregon. On the one hand We
had the representatives OF some nint
hundred railroads, and opposed t.
them the representatives Of sixteer
state governments, with the interstate
commerce commission as the deciding
tribunal. The hearing In the cast
lasted about a year. .---.- +.
Western Classification No. 81 in