The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-01-04
AN ANALYSIS OF THE MOON BILL
Why Does Not Offer Just Practicable Basis of
ment to the Railroads for Carrying the Mails.

IOT carrying the Md1lS.
} delaying their transmission. Under
the present system of payment by
/ weight. the postof1ce department can
utilize every train that runs. without
. additional expense. and SO give the
public the maximum frequency Of dis
! patch.
! What the Moon Bill 10 and 10 Not.
The Moon bill, on it's face, purports
in elaborate detail to specify two
things:
i l. The way In which the malls are
ito be transported.
3. The rates to be paid the rail-
roads for the service.
i An analysis Of the bill. however,
VIII show that 1t really leaves these
matters almost wholly to the personal
discretion OF the postmaster general,
and that by the passage OF the meas
lure the only definite provisions that
congress would actually enact into
law would be:
/ First-That the postmaster general
must not pay the railroads more than
certain rates.
Second-That the railroads must
carry the malls at the rates the post
master general names.
/ Nowhere does the Moon bin specify
that the postmaster general shall pay
the railroads anything. What it does
do is to provide that he may pay them
not exceeding" certain designated
rates for the various services de-
manded.
Delegations Of Basic Authority.
The Moon bill contains no less than
ten specific authorizations to the
postmaster general to vary, at will.
the rates named In the measure as APP
plicable to the various railroad serv-
ices.
1t contains four specific authorize
lions under which he would be at lib
erty to devise and put into effect
systems of mail transportation, and
plans OF compensation for the service.
totally different from the system and
plan which the major portion Of the
bill purports to enact into law.
Should the authority conferred upon
the postmaster general by these sup
Elementary grants of power be fully
exercised, only the first class mail,
which Is less than 10 per cent Of the
whole, would be transported in ac-
cordance with the plan set forth In de-
tail by the Moon bill. ALI other mail. |
including the parcel post, would be
carried under plans of transportation. |
and OF payment for the same, initial |
ed and put into effect by the postmast- |
er general. independently OF the will |
Of congress.
A Departmental Measure.
In connection with these vast grants |
OF arbitrary power which the Moon
bill would confer upon the head of the |
postof1ce department, 1t Is OF great |.
significance that the measure origin
ated In, and is the proposal of, the de-
partment
This was revealed by the chairman
Of the house of representatives post
office committee. who acted as the il
sponsor OF the bill in congress In his
speech of August g. 1914. when asking 4
'or support Of the bill. Chairman Moon |,
said: Il
This particular section (the
railway mail pay measure) Is the q
suggestion OF the postofflce depart
ton to this bill" (Cong. Rec, Il
August s, 1914, p. 14561.)
No Protection for tae Railroads. d
Nowhere does the Moon bill specify !
hat the rates allowed the railroads
" the postmaster. general shall be II
compensatory. or fair. or just, or even e
Under the terms Of such measure,
would obviously be impossible fo- (
he management of any railroad to Il
even roughly, what revenue
might count upon receiving from
he service OF Transporting the mails.
The bill contains no provision that !
quail rates shall be paid the railroads =
Or equal services. In view Of the
powers which 1t would con- !,
er upon the postmaster general in T
etermining the rates and conditions
service, and OF the absence OF all =
revision for appeal from any specific
xercise OF such powers, the possibil- !,
les OF discrimination. for political or !,
Their reasons, are obvious
It would be possible to pay different 6,
ailroads dissimilar rates for similar
ervices, or to make the conditions Of ).
ervfce imposed upon various COM =
snies very unequal. Discrimination r
light easily be upon sectional lines. =
What the railroads should be paid =
,r carrying the mails is purely a
usiness question and ought to be :"
ept out OF politics. The Moon bill :,
ould be a most effective means OF
utting it into politics =