The Green Forest tribune., 1913-03-21
NOTABLE V|Cl
 FOR TIE PEOPLE
Upsetting of Western Classified
 ton 51 Means Much.
RAILROADS LOSE BIG CASE
Chairman Thorne of iowa Comnis- sion Tells How the Shippers and Consumers of the West Bene-
 fit by the Decision.

DV InS OSClSlOns
 Des Moines, la, March 13.-The peo- pie of the United States have had Iowa to thank for a number of ex- cellent things, and to the list must be now added an achievement that means a great deal to the shippers Of the entire west from the Mississippi to the Pacific, Especially are those shippers under obligations to the Iowa state board of railroad commissioners and it's chairman, Clifford Thorne.
 This achievement is the suspension and revision, by the interstate com merce commission, of an entire freight classification, known as Western clas- sification No. 51, and on March 31 the several hundred changes made to con- form to the commissions order will go into effect. Shippers and consum- CTS alike will benefit by the revision.
 Iowa Leads the Fight.
 Iowa's commission was by no means alone in the good work, but it 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 MT 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
 MT Thorne today had this to say of the big case and it's outcome:
 One day during the summer of 1911 was seated in a hotel parlor in Mill waukee. In one end of the room there were sixteen men in their shirtsleeves, talking and listening occasionally to a 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 a 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 cifie coast. have organized what they call a western classification commit tee of about eighty-fve members. These eighty-five men have selected a subcommittee of sixteen men. This subcommittee, which is dominated by one or two individuals. determines the freight ratings on over 1000 articles, on which 35,0O0000 people have to pay traffic between about 10000 towns. located between the Mississip- pi river and the Pacific coast. This is one of the three important classifi- 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 of American railroads an entire classifi- cation of one of these three great freight classification committees has been suspended by the federal govern ment. And the committee 1 have de- seribed has been making a revision Of it's former work, in accordance with the decision which was rendered by the interstate commerce commission recently, known as the decision in the | case of Western classification No. 51. l The railroads have just submitted to the commission list of several hun oh iV al fr conform to the commissions order and these will go into effect March 31 The opinion in this case, next to the one rendered in the express case, is perhaps the longest ever written by | the interstate commerce commission. The case is of national importance. Many of it's features are unique, and of profound concern to the consumers of the country.
 Sixteen States United.
 Many shippers and shippers or ganizations were parties to this case But perhaps the most interesting fea- 1 ture was the fact that on behalf of 1 the consumers the railroad commis. sions of sixteen great states appear. ed. These states were Illinois, Wis. consin. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Okla homa Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Nevada, Washing 1 ton and Oregon. On the one hand we had the representatives of some nine hundred railroads, and opposed tc them the representatives of sixteen state governments, with the interstate commerce commission as the deciding tribunal. The hearing in the case | lasted about year.
 Western Classification No. 51 in