Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-08-08

How much the decision means to Iowa
manufacturers may be better UNDER
stood thru the following resume which
sets forth the situation and IL prac-
tically brief Of the case brought BY
the merchants and shippers OF Iowa for
reliew from an intolerabie condition:
The building up of Iowa manufao-
turing industries rests as much II not
more upon building up western mar
kets. as the securing Of reasonable
rates to and from the east. Nine
tenths, fully. of our goods are marketed
in the west. The rates to the west are
made up on the combination OF locals
on the Missouri river, just as those to
the east are made by combination OF
locals on the Mississippi river. The
rates advance at an enormous rate in
the western part of the state. and the
whole state Is thereby put on an ex-
tremely high level
An illustration of this combined sit
uation is this: while Des Moines would
pay 81 cents more per hundred pounds
on shoes from New York City, she
pays within $40 cents Of the same
rate to Denver as st. Louis. In other
words this system of charging the
combination Of locals in both direc-
tions gives ST. Louis an advantage OF
81 2-10 cents per 100 pounds over Des
Moines. This is typical of the situation
all over the state. A man jubbinS
automobiles at Mason City is con-
fronted with this situation; suppose he
buys five carloads or $4,000 pounds OF
automobiles at Buffalo, n. Y. and mar
kets them in carload. or less than car
load quantities at Denver. His freight
charges on the $4,000 pounds would be
s242.50 greater. or s4S.50 per minimum
carload greater than his competitor al
ST. Louis. who would buy them at pre-
cisely the same point Of origin in the
east. and ship them to percisely the
same destination in the west. and the
haul is almost identically the same
IN distance. This is typical of the
entire distance.
With such situation 1t has been
a commercial impossibility to build up
a great business on national scale in
Iowa compared to ST. Louis or Chicago.
Where we have hold, special rates
have either been put in, or some spe-
cial qualifications or ability existed in
the manufacturer compared to his
com petitor in Chicago or ST. Louis.
The interstate commerce commission
has ordered the rates revised Cloth
easr-bound and weSt-bound) between
Iowa and points in Kansas, Nebraska,
Colorado. Utah and certain points In
Nevada. New Mexico and Wyoming.
This territory covers that portion OF
the United States where Iowa markets
full nine-tenths of her products. Again
the commission has based Its decision
on the fundamental principle Of dis
tributing the state into equitable zones
or groups across the state.
This case is in every sense COM
panion case with the eastern decision
Either one by itself would only have
been half the battle Together they
will place Iowa cities on a substantial
equality with the great cities in sur
rounding states.
The comprehensive character OF the
whole series of cases now concluded
is we'll illustrated by the following
opening sentences in the opinion:
In the report just disposed of (the
Mississippi river CASEY we have re-
ferred to that complaint. the COM
plants under consideration here. and
to the complaints that follow, as
combined effort on the part of the
state Of Iowa, its railroad commission,
and It's merchants and shippers to Sc
cure more favorable rates into and out
| of the entire state
| When Clifford Thorne was elected to
| the railroad commission from a little
southern Iowa town, where he was
pursuing the vocation Of county
LAWYER with reasonable success, stand
pat politicians and papers were quick
TO accentuate the situation. But
Thorne had made a study of railroad
rates and had peculiar ability,
amounting to genius, for the un-
raveling of these puzzles known as
railroad rates. Beyond that he had
purpose and beyond that he understood
the term duty. His special knowledge
and the clarity Of his understanding
and argument made him more than a
| match for the best attorneys whom
money could hire to oppose him. His
terms Of office have been years Of hard
work and accomplishment. He has
asked for nothing but square deal for
Iowa shippers and has forced the issue
to success in practically every instance
where he has made a demand. And
this he has done on the meaeer salary
of railroad commissioner in Iowa.
The state of Iowa is most fortunate
in the services of such man as Cliff
ford Thorne.