The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-09
Decision Saves Roads From
Many Masters i'm Inter-
state Commerce.
TWO CENT PASSENGER
FARE MAY BE FOUGHT
Justice Hughes Renders tho
Opinion-Two Of His Col.
leagues Dissent.

WASHINGTON. June s.-A decision
handed down to-day by the United
states Supreme Court on the so.cal,ea
shreveport case is the most impor,an,
that has come from that tribunal in
regard to railroad rate making since IN.
creation OF the Interstate Commercs
Commission.
Under the decision the authority ~
the Federal Government TO regulate ia.
terstate commerce through the In,cr.
state Commerce Commission is mad.
supreme.
state laws and orders OF State com.
missions conflicting with the Fedora,
laws must give way and vexatiou.
orders or regulations promulgated bv
the State authorities as burdens n,
interstate commerce can he set aside by
order OF the Interstate Commerce Com.
mission.
Thus the railroads Of the country
finally get a means OF relief from In.
harassing and conflicting State lsws
and orders.
The way u opened for the eseape from
the two cent passenger fare law, rb.,
they Impose undue burdens on Interstate
commerce and from other local fs,po,,-
lions that have compelled the rniJro.Ss
~
the nigh rates for Interstate shipments
IN order TO save themselves from losses
caused by ruiDous rates fixed by state
laws.
The court stood 7 TO on the prevail.
ing opinion, Justices Pitney and Lurton
dissenting.
Epoch Making Decision"
The decision is regarded as cpoch
making. 1t marks a long stem in tina
evolution OF Federal control not only
over Interstate shipments but over
the agencies Of interstate commerce.
The decision Gives the railroads what
they hoped to obtain from the memo.
rable Minnesota rate decision a year aVo.
but which they were denied through the
failure Of the court 10 pass OIL the cues.
ton Of the conflict Of power between
the States and the Federal Government
when that power has been asserted by
the latter through the Commerce Com
mission.
The belief expresses here is that one
Of the effects OF the decision viii be a
readJustment OF passenger fares. which
have long been in IA state of confusion
az a result OF State laws and regula.
tions
Officials of the Interstate Commerce
Commission see IN this decision an end
of the inharmonious and Inconsistent
decisions 1t has been Obliged to render
in attempting to adjust itself 10 State
statutes and regula tons. In the future
State rates and practices must line ND
in accordance with the findings Of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
Before there are any changes IN
rates. however. the Interstate Com
merce Commission will nave TO take
action. II is probable that the decision
will be followed by the reopenlng Of
will be applied
Directed Against Texas Hoard
The decision upholds the order Z the
Interstate Commerce Commission di-
rected against the railroads affected and
fhpnn IN annaliza ha
tween hauls in interstate commerce and
for shipments between points wholly
within a State. While directed against
the railroads the Interstate Commerce
Commission order was really aimed at
the Texas Railroad Commission.
Ia the Minnesota rate case handed down
a year ago the court held that me State
authority was supreme because the Inter
state Commerce Commission had Issued
no order and had not sought IN any way
to regulate the alleged discriminating
resulting from the orders Of the
Minnesota Railroad Commission relating
20 intrastate commerce.
In the Shreveport case the Interstate
Commerce Commission had Issued an
order against certain railroads operating
in Louisiana and Texas, directing them to
eoualiZe rates on shipments between
La, and certain points in the
State OF Texas with other rates between
points on the same lines OF road wholly
within the State OF Texas.
Shippers and jobbers In Louisiana in
terested in the development OF Shreve-
por, as a jobbins centre had complained
tina, the Texas Railroad conrsission had