Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-06-13
Way to Complete National
Supervision Now Held 10
be Clear
States Have Power Only TO-
I'll Congress Assumes
Full Control.
Recent Decision in Minnes0'
"a Case Is Far Reaching
10 Consequence

Minneapolis, June ll,-That the led
eral goverenmnt must and VIII event
ually assume control OF, or superVl'
sion over, all the railroads of the Unit
ed States, that this power lies in con-
gress and that the exercise OF it is the
eventual solution of the railroad prop.
lem is a great central idea embodied
in the wording Of the experimenting
supreme court decision in the Mime
sofa rate case.
In a decision necessarily involved,
widely divergent in effect. in which
the right Of Minnesota to make rates
within its borders is upheld, and in
which former Attorneys General Ed
ward T. Young and George 7. Simp-
son and associated counsel find their
maintained, the supreme
court presents such comment upon the
inherent right of congress to assume
general control that railroad attor-
neys, admitting the full victory OF
the state in the immediate issues, be.
lieve that the decision clears the way
for the federal government to extend
its supervision. This is the opinion
OF Alfred Fl. Bright, general counsel
for the 500 line and vice president OF
the Wisconsin Central road, and OF
W. H. Bremner, general counsel for
the minneapolis & st. Louis road
which is conspicuous in the decision
because Of its exemption from the
clause declaring the Minnesota made
rates not discriminatory.
That in all the important phases OF
the decision, which give the victory &c
Minnesota, and which reach out var
ously for effect upon shippers and the
public, and the railroads. ano
which sustain The. Minnesota railroad
and warehouse commission, the great
est and most important feature is the
pointing by the supreme court 10 con
gress as the eventual power for rail
road control or regulation. is the opin
ion of Mr.. Bright.
THAT one idea t~ranscends every
thing else in the d%ecision," Mr.. Fright
said. WE are most concerned, Of
course, with immediate effects. But
the language of the supreme court il
recognition Of the fact that the deci
sion is not final as to ultimate possible
tiles. The federal government now
exercises control over safety appli
ances, for example. The interstate
commerce commission may order such
appliances onto any road that does an
interstate business, and no state could
interfere. Unimportant as that may
seem, compared with the great ISSUES
in the rate case, the principle is the
same. The supreme court says con
gress has the power to take supervi,
sion in general. That is the great
big central thought in the decision"
THE supreme court has said that
congress has the power when it sees
fit to exercise it. to supervise all the
railroads OF the country, regardless OF
the States" said Mr.. Premier. How
ever great and important may be the
effect OF the isues decided that will
begin to operate Immediately. this
definition, or pointing not, Of the
place Of ultimate resort for the solu-
ton of the great problem Of railroad
control, is | believe, so important, that
while the other issues may appear
monumental at this time they are real
ly Of less consequence"