The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-12-11
SHORTlINE ROADS
WANT MORE PAY

The Western Association of Short
line Railroads will appeal to Congress
at the coming session for relief from
the present method of fixing the pay
allotted to the railroads for carrying
the mails. Several of these roads
are in Nevada. In view of the many
charges and counter-charges between
the railroads. the Postofice Depart
ment and certain patrons of the SER
vice, it is strange that this mater has
not long ago been more thoroughly
threshed out, not merely with refer
ence to the shorter lines. but to the
trans-continental and interstate lines
as well. The Interstate Commerce
Commission has been given full
power of regulation over passenger
and freight charges. The carriers
are limited to rates fixed by that
commission, whose function it is to
ascertain operating costs. The COM
mission is responsible to the people
for a policy that will give them a sat-
isfactory service without excessive
rates. 1t has corrected many abuses
on the part of the railroads, and has
in other instances gone so far as to
make proper service with proper
maintenance impossible. 1t has no
doubt forced more than one railroad
into the hands of a receiver.
The commission has, nevertheless,
shown adisposition to correct its own
errors when pointed out. and the
public has more confidence in the |.
c. C.. in matters of equity between
the people and the railroads than
they have in the Postoffice Depart
ment, which is always more or less
closely allied with politics-generally
more-and whose chief is apt to be
looking more keenly for a record for
himself than for abstract justice or
permanent efficiency. in either pos
tai or general transportation service.
He is one man, always a politician;
the commission is composed of seven,
all as independent of politics as the
members of the Supreme Court, and
presumably appointed with special
reference to their qualification for
the important service required of
them.
The Tribune will not assume to
pass upon the rates of mail pay now
existing. but the fact that the roads,
or a group of them, prefer the |. C.
c. as an arbiter rather than the
Postoffice Department. would indi-
cate that they believe, at least, that
they have a grievance, The private
shipper cannot dictate terms to the
railroad company, o can the COM
pany dictate terms to the private
shipper. Then what possible logic
or consistency is there in permitting
an executive department of the gov
eminent, with a single head, to over
rule the authority or question the in
tegrity and fairness of that very
commission which the same govern
ment has established as a court of
arbitration between the railroads
and the people? If the government
itself, as represented by the Post
Office Department. has no confidence
in the |. C. c., how can the govern
ment expect the people to accept its
rulings without complaint? If the
|. C. c., after it's % years of exper-
fence and with its big corps of trans
~portation experts, cannot find where
equity lies, as between the railroads
and the Postoffice Department, the
commission should be dissolved and
it's work transferred to the Post
master General. Let the govern
ment and the people have the same
arbiter, and the sauce for the goose
he sufficient for the gander. Gold
field Tribune.