New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-01
The Interstate Commerce Nohi
misnon Should Do IL Part in
Wooine Bacl Prosperity.

,rho l.. torstate Commerce Commission uoes NV
.n,,,, that there should he any undue ha''o
welcoming back prosperity. 1t is dcclueu'S "7"'
hos,a ,, haste means doing anything lor ''' W.,
,oo, % rriers which it has reduced 10 ~
-, yon., starvation. 1t seems TO D. peIlcV"'
a. o.. ,ot Them 90 on running down. skiinpi'o
,,,o,r .oponce and equipment educlng OF suspeN'
tho q yidends and impairnS ci"ul'
70 .ho commission had had Is >r"i wa. the NC
IT., ~, tho appeal of the EASTER rallroauS io'
,,,ohor freight rates wou,' lave gone over uht'i
~, fall Rut the protest Of G business "o'I
IT,. that iniustice-tl, plea g. the ralIro"u'
,,o,uo, hacked nv chambers f commerce ana many
.o.on,otivo association OF 'ippers-shooh inc
,o,,r,issioncrs ont OF .her l--hargy Last apr"
,to, rro,nised II early &c sioce &c b maze az
na,no 20 n. nndersta ding Of those in the con-
a,a,oo Of III commission some time IL june
Novv Junc IS hist and Washington dispatches IT,
49,. ,,,o docieion will be d.layed for at least
two weeks !,
:, l., o,.,dort tina ,hc wires have been cut be-
4, oon the headquarters of thu commission anu
-, Central mower plant - Washington--thc
While House In his speech 20 tie Virginia Eu''
,orioI Association last wee Iresid>%t wilson an
rounccd that there V ould soon be "a boom III
blSinCSS
r-p,ted States" The President thinks the ARRIVAL
of II at boom will ,e dependent upon the passage
- the additional antitrust legislation now pend
K &, Congress. But most pcople-lhcIuuing I"
majority eve of those who believe that more anti
trust legSl. ton may hcl BUSINESS ihS'c"u u
frr,bor checking an( dcmorazing it-rcalizc that
the most important single thing that could be oone
70 ,urc nrospcrity out of her cave would he an
IN, fpaO
g. Wilson himself was conscious of that feeling
~. n said recent message 10 congress
at TRANSFORMATION was one of the basic industries
IN, countru . a. that relief TO 1t would NEAL
ief 10 many other laggiIt- industries.
II I. nv Interstate Commerce COMMISSION ie'
T. & was its duty to work for return o pros
,isyt, and thus hclo to fortfy Mr. Wilson's repu-
+ as nj economic prophet. it WOULD nave
. CT ntt an increase of freight rates the day AFTER
IL frcccl T, the virginia editors. But its past
recor persistence, il error hardly JuStihed 81
cbec, i, n. expect ton. The commission has
clunC 10 its opii ion in the face OF every eVdehce
that its policy of starving the railroads has ocep
enc of the main causes Of b1 mess depression III
is fully capab bic of going to still greater 'cnGtnS
I'm retardng business recovery.
s, George Paish. the edto" of "The Lone ) |
StatiSt" said Yesterday IN an lhtcTNlc" III liz
New York World" that the lnterSt.'c Commerce
Commissions unreasonable delay in granting in
crcascs i'm railroad rates was one of the primary
causes Of the continuance of hard times in TINS
country He also hazardcd this guess: Il am not
sure that further delay won't result in the aooh-
tion of the Interstate Commerce Commission ana
urobably induce the American people TO come tc
tle conclusion that a minister Of railways had
better be created
We can see no demand just yet >he aboli-
zion Of the commission. In many fields 1t mas
done admirable work. Yet its view Of the prob
lem of regulation has often been much too narrow.
II has failed to appreciate the intimate relation
between prosperity for the common carriers ana
PROSPERITY for the country. In refusing TO give the
railroads square deal IL has erred disastrously.
There il still time to repent. \ decision which Will
revive railroad activities will 60 far toward driv-
ing away business gloom and restoring good times.
As n tonic TO industry and commerce 1t would be
worth n hundred times the dubious Wilson
remcGy Of injecting new uncertainties and con
fusion. into the antitrust law.