The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-01-16

enc road stealing the equipment of
its connection by way of reprisal
against similar thefts of which it is
the victim. The result is that the
coal company in Illinois, which has
undertaken by contract to serve in
duStries in Missouri is cut off from
its market by reason Of the closing
Of the route which the law requires
the Illinois Central and the Missouri
Pacific to maintain and keep open.
'"The complainant here was emit
tied at all times to send it's coal to
points upon the Missouri Pacific and
through other connections at st.
Louis to points upon their lines. 1t
is rot an adequate defense for the
Illinois Central to say that this route
was closed because Of the dishonora-
bic conduct of it's connections The
burden rests upon these carriers to
keep their highway between the
mine in Illinois and the factory
in Missouri open and to devise some
method by which this can be done.
The coal mine is entitled under the
law to rely upon the carrier main
tanning it's route irrespective of the
unfriendly relations that may exist
between the carriers. The COM
merce Of this country can not be
conducted under a system of railroad
operation based upon such primitive
practices Of warfare as reprisal and
embargo. Such methods are not the
expression Of civilization which leads
to order, system and certainty, but
are the loose and archaic methods of
a disorganized industrial system.
"There may be times when an en-
barge is justifable because of the
physical inability Of the carrier for
some reason to deal with the traffic
which overwhelms it, but such an
embargo as was established in this
case is not contemplated in the law
and is not consonant with the service
which the carriers constituting the
through route are required to give"
The power of the Commission is
limited in such cases to the prOmul-
cation of rules which will insure fair
play between the carriers and make
possible adequate service to the ship
pers. The duty of framing such
rules rests primarily upon the car
riers themselves, and the Commits
sion has said that unless such rules
were made it would itself undertake
the task. Such remedy, however,
would be entirely inadequate to the
imperative needs of the present
situation, and in view of the condi-
ton which obtains we deem it to the
public interest to make the following
suggestions to the railroads of the
country
Cd That higher per diem rate
shall be made to apply for the use Of
cars as between the carriers.
CD That an inspection service be
at once instituted which shall report
to this Commission violations of the
rules existing which are intended to
insure the return Of equipment to
the home line.
(3) That operating officials be in
structed to make fuller use Of loco
motives and cars by increasing the
speed Of freight trains. An average
movement Of less than rs miles per
car per day is not adequate to the
need of times such as this. An in.
creased speed Of movement is tanta-
mount to an increase in equipment.
These suggestions are made in the
hope that the carriers will at once
cooperate as to bring about a change
in conditions under which they may
be able to fulfill the obligations that
are cast upon them. We fully appre-
ciate the fact that at a>time Of pheno-
menal crops and at a season of the
year when there is always the largest