Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-01

world Is the matter WITH the advanced
rate case and the interstate commerce
commission and psychological effect on
business and few other related things?
There has been great deal of news
paper exploitation of the alleged ter
ribly long delay in arriving at a de-
cision or announcing the result. Yet no
announcement.
1t has been suggested that now the
commission has held back the decision
until time Of year when, owing to the
enormous crops and the prospective fall
business and the war and various other
things, it will be impossible for the car
riers to make a showing of destructive
effect of the decision should it fail to
grant the per cent raise in rates de-
manded. Anyway The calamity pre-
d1ctions are becoming less and less all
the time. and the newspaper organs
which joined in the scheme to over
whelm the commission with a sentiment
favorable to a raise in the rates. are not
printing nearly so much of alarming
predictions of dire results to follow.
Decision Repeatedly Delayed.
1t was said in the spring, within
few weeks after the rate case had been
submitted, that decision was going to
be made right away; then from time to
time have appeared dispatches en1anat-
ing from Washington indicating that
the decision was all but completed. On
July Is the dispatches said tie an
nouncement would come by July 20.
On the 21st it was stated the commits
sion was checking up to find out if it
was true there had already been a great
falling off in railroad business. On the
23d it was said that the commission was
revising the "brusqueness' out of the
decision. On the 25th it was said that
at a conference of the commissioners it
was debated as to whether they should
notice the impression that prevails that
favorable action will help restore conf
dence in railroad circles This was in
connection with assertions from Wash
ington in the New York World and
other administration papers, that
President Wilson'S known belief that
substantial increase would have ten
dency to restore the confidence of the
business world, it Is intimated, has been
a factor in the discussions among the
commissioners" Also in the latest dis
patches:
IA majority of the commission is in
clined to boost instead of to knock
The first drafts OF the decision, it Is
commonly understood, were of such
character that the denunciation Of the
practices OF the carriers would have
overshadowed the increases allowed.
For a week the understanding has been
that the commissioners were softening
their report"
Trimming Out erandeis' Ideas.
In other words. what mas been hap
pening is that the commission has been
trimming out a lot of the Brandeis stuff
and getting the decision down to the
one sole and only question which was
raised by the carriers. that Of the ne
cessity for a per cent raise in all rates
in the eastern territory as a requisite
for the payment of dividends and bet
terment of the roads. The "denuncia-
lions of the practices" is the feature of
the report which has been the pet
hobby Of Mr.. Brandeis from the first.
An apparently reliable forecast in a
New York World dispatch indicates
that the advances referred to will be
advances on "the higher grades of
merchandise in the Central Freight
Association territory" which will help
the weaker roads such as the Wabash,
Pere Marquette and others. This in
crease would not amount to more than
100000 year. whereas the increase
of 5per cent fiat on the entire territory
on all classes and commodities would
be worth $6O,00o,000 a year to the east
ern railroads.
The 10000 separate tariffs filed by the
railroads for the S per cent increase
would become effective Sept. II unless
the case is decided prior to that time.
The decision is to be on these proposed
tariffs involving the entire per cent
advance.
The forecast of the decision. IL good,
shows it will be in entire harmony with
the position taken by the western rail-
road commi s2ionerS