Albuquerque morning journal., 1914-10-13
RAISING FREIGHT RATES.

Tho relief Of American railroads
from the prolonged pressure Of ris-
inR prices for material aud higher
wages for labor and stationary
charges Alll hangs fire Perhaps i
would have made greater progress
Il the railroad officials who have
ufRcd higher freight rates on the In
terstaie Commerce commission had
not bcen handicapped by the mla-
deeds Of few roads Also the re-
quest by the tfanscontlncntoi roads
for reduction of rates to const points.
necessarily involving higher rates at
interior points, ie complcatins
things.
When the shocking misnanase-
ment of the New Haven came into
the llmolght. there was excuse for
the commission TO further withhold
relief Ia It's much delayed findings.
The rchearing II has granted comes
at a time when new publicity for the
abuses in the management of the
Rock Island. Frisco, Pcrc Marquette
and the Hamilton q Dayton may
serve as fresh excuse for denying re-
lief
Not alone stockholders, but ship.
pcra ana passengers are suffering
from the depletion of railroad earn
ingn. and from the inability to make
bettefmcnta that result from snpping
Of railroad credits. Employees find
the road to higher wages blocked for
the same reason.
Railroad Stockholders. WIN seldom
bother about attending annual meet
inTp. are nov making tholr presence
felt They are speaking out for q
change in conditions shippers. who
understand the relation OF the roads,
to the public, are making them
selves heard for the frat time ia de-
nland for higher freight rates They
nre spcuking out through merchant
associations.
II Va unfortunate that The roads
are asking at the same time for per.
mission to reduce rates TO the Ia.
clflc coast In order TO meet compe-
tltlun Of the Panama canal " they
can show that they nrc unable TO
compete with traffic through the cn-
nal, relief VIII ho granted That point
hap been decided hy the supreme
court Of the United States The inter-
mountain states. Of which New Mex
leo ~ one, are protesting AGAINST the
reduction to the coast because there
must bo compensating incfcnao at
Interior points.
This situation givea the people of
Nrw MeNieo some idea of what would
have resulted to them if couslwise
rates had been further re- b
duoad sl.2o ton through free tolls,
passed hy congress signed by prcsi-
dent TAFT aud repealed through per-
sisient demand ef President Wilson.
hacked By Senators Root and Lodge.
both OF whose states would have been
specially benefited at the expense Of
the rest Of the country
Incidentally II may be recalled that
our own Senator Thomas H. Catrou
spokr against and voted against the
repeal Of the bill Also Il may be
worth while to state here that among
the attacks made on the democratic
administration at the republican
banquet held here during fair week
The canal tolls was made the ground
ipF some of lho most bitter attacks
hy speakers soebing some vulnerable
point
Il was enc of the instances Of
poetic Justice that on the day follow
in@ q was announced ia the newspa-
pefs that the lwnscentincntal ran.
roads had bcrun their light FOR re-
dueed rates o. tho Pacific coast mi
order 20 meet oanal competition, oven !
without having also TO meet free tolls
through the canal h
II was not hecause senator calron Z
wanted to see higher freight rates In
New Mexico that hc opposed the re-
peal Of the free TOLLS provision. hut
because ho had an idea that all pol-
cleH of the democratic party and all !
nominees of that party should be
fought, regardless of how good they
were, aud that all Of the nominees Of
The republican parry should be sup. !
ported regardless OF unhtnoss as To
ability OF character.