Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-10-28
.RA|SE UNJUST|F|ED
TH0RNE DECLARES
Iowa Commissioner Says Bust.
ness Depression Affects
Shippers and Rail-
roads Alike.

sstNS
Washington, Oct. 26.-The hearing Of
the railroads. appeal for an increase in
rates and the protest of the shippers
to the Interstate Commerce commits
sion came to an n late yesterday
with the presentation of the statement
of Clifford ThOrne, railroad commits
sioner for Iowa. MIR. Thorne acted as
counsel for several western railroad
commissions and shippers associations.
Arguments on the appeal will begin
mex Thursday.
Mr.. Thorne took the position that the
railroads have not shown that any
business depression exists which af-
fects them more than the shippers and
that the proposed advance would,
therefore, be unjust.
Mr.. Thorne's statement follows:
The carriers are proposing a S per
cent advance in the freight rates not
but in the through rates between all
points in this eastern territory and
those states west of the Mississippi
river, which l represent. We will pay
h advances on the raw products NOV
ing to the east and on the manufac-
factories to the west. We catch it
both ways coming and going; n we
are subject to the long hauls.
THE market prices of nan of u
products are controlled by the prices at
the Atlantic coast, less freight rates.
An advance in our freight rates is
equivalent to moving our farms and in
dustries that muc farther from mar
ket: it reduces our prices that much.
In h aggregate that will o to a
very large sun of money. These are "A
few OF the reasons that / am here.
Mr.. Thorne's Aim.
My purpose is simply to help see
that the public side of these issues is
fully presented to the commission. If
the carriers are entitled to an increase
we hope the commission will grant it; if
not, we trust and believe that the CON-
mission will deny the petition of the
carriers. We favor advances on such
materials as do not yield adequate COM
pensttion today: likewise we favor re-
auctions where conditions are the re-
verse. AS To- Interstate traffic. it is the
function of u state commissions to
represent the shippers before this trl-
bunal. This is established and required
by statute.
"There is not the slightest spirit. of
hostility in our attitude toward the
railroads. We fully appreciate their
vast Importance in the commercial life
of the nation. So is the prosperity of
the farme: basic and fundamental to
the welfare of the nation. Likewise
the welfare of the laboring ma is of
tremendous Importance to the prosper
ity Of the country. A general advance
of 10 per cent in wages during this
period of depression, according to the
pleasing logic we have been listening to
during the last few days. o put
that much more money into circulation.
No man spends his money more freely
thai does the laboring man.
"IhOSe whom | am authorized to rep
resent placed no restrictions whatever
on what I shall say or do. However,
desire ct this time to relieve them en-
tirely from such responsibility. Their
object has simply been a pecunialy step
to help see that both sides may be fullj
developed. l assume personal res,,on-
sibility for my statements.
All Business Suffers.
''This is the third time American rail
ways nave sought to force q general
advance in freight rates. In 1910 they
claimed a crisis existed. Instead of a
crisis the commission found that to be
| the most prosperous year in the Whole
history of American railways. In the
original 5 per cent case in the year l91:
the claim of a crisis was again made;
and concluded that there is no crisis in
the condition of the railroads in Off
cial classification territory. taken as
q whole Now, for the third time. the
Il j oGINS9 Slo11ll IiiSkS 10 a vi olS oOa
they have some foundation for thei1
claim. But this emergency upon which
the carriers are relying today affects
practically all of US in the same man.
ner. 1t is following a period of marked
depression in business for about a year
subsequent to the Balkan wars, dis.
turbances in Europe and the shorl
crops of last year.
"lt is just as hard for the manufac.
turer. the farmer, the laborer, the tele.
phone or the beef trust to borrow
money as it is for the railroads to do so
THE railroads are asking for a sor
of wal tax; they are asking the gov.
eminent to lift the burden off part o.
the community and shift it over to til;
shoulders of the others. They asked
the wage Garner, who has lost his Job
or has a reduced; the cotton plant
er who cannot sell his cotton, and tn,
manufacturer. who has been compelled
to close his shop or reduce his force
they ask these men to carry the bur
der of the railroad in addition to thei,
OWL
eff it is right for the government :,
shield the railroads from the effects o
the war: if it is right for the govern
ment to make good the losses of peopl.
in different industries, l am going t,
propose a measure that will require e:.
cry hen in Iowa to lay an egg ever,
day. and when she fails to do so tn,
government will make up to the owne
the value of he egg she did not la.
This will enable the farmers to hav,
more money with which to buy ma
chinery. This in turn will make tn
factories keep buster; it will keel
money in circulation and make tn,
crops bigger and better. And why no
tax everybody for the benefit of every
body else n thereby make everybod,
rich? How perfectly splendid.
Freight rates are not the cause o