The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-03-20
NOTABLE VICTORY
FOR THE PEOPLE
UpSetting of Western Classified.
ton 81 Means Much.
RAILROADS LOSE BIG CASE
Chairman Thorne Of Iowa Commits
sion TelIs How the Shippers and
Consumers Of the West Bene.
fit by the Decision.

Des Moines, la, March l3.-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 All achievement that
means n great deal to the shippers OF
the entire west from the Mississippi
10 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-
slhcation 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.
lowas 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 tho 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. Deals. lowa's rate
expert.
Mr. Thornc today had this to say OF
the big case and It's outcome:
One day during the summon OF 1911
! was seated in hotel parlor in Nil.
waukee. In one end OF the room there
were sixteen men In their shirtsleeves,
talking and listening occasionally to
a person standing In the censer Of the
room; two or three minutes we're 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
ciic coast, have organized what they
call a western classification commit
tee OF about elghty.tiye members.
These elghty-flve men have selected a
subcommittee OF sixteen men. This
sub committee, which is dominated by
one or two individuals. determines the
freight ratings on over 1000 articles,
on which 35,000.000 people have to
pay traffic between about 10000
Gowns, located between the MISSISSIPPI
pi river and the Pacific coast. This
is one OF the three important classih,
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 classih.
cation Of one of these three great
freight classification committees has
been suspended by the federal govern.
mcnt And the committee | have de.
sC-ibcd has been making a revision OF
its former work In accordance with
tho decision which was rendered BY
the interstate commerce commission
recently known as the decision In the
case Of Western classification No 81.
The railroads have just submitted To
O 90
tTeh changes in this classification 10
-'Gform to the commissions order,and
these will go into effect March 81.
The opinion in this case. next to the
CT" rendered in the express case, is
perhaps the longest ever written by
fne 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 S,ateo United.
Many shippers and shippers OF.
carnations were parties to this case.
Hut perhaps the most interesting fea.
fure was the fac. that on behalf of
N" consumers the railroad commits.
sions OF sixteen great states appear.
ed These states were Illinois. Wis.
eonsin. Minnesota, Iowa. Missouri.
Arkansas. Louisiana, Texas, Okla.
homa. Nebraska. South Dakota. North
Dakota. Colorado, Nevada. Washing
iou and Oregon. On the one hand we
had the Representatives 81 some nine
hundred railroads. and opposed TO
them the representatives OF sixteen
state governments, with nc Interstate
commerce commission as the deciding
tribunal The hearing in the case
lasted about year.
Western Classification No. 81 in