The Prescott daily news., 1916-12-16
SAFETY DEMANDS FEDERAL CONTROL
 OF THE RAILROADS
Only Way to Meet Emergencies Of Nation, Says 4. P. ThOm,
STATES RIGHTS PRESERVED

Principles Which Railways Hold Should { Govern Regulatory System In Inter
 ests of Public and the Roads-Com-
 pulsory System of Federal lncorpo.
 ration Favored.
 Washington. Dec. 4.-That the inter- ests of national defense require that : control of railway lines should rest ] with the federal government and not with the states was the claim ad- | vanced by Alfred F. Thom, counsel to the Railway Executives Advisory Committee, in concluding his prelim | mary statement of the case for the railways before the NewlHnds Joint Committee on Interstate Commerce. | We must be efficient as nation if We are to deal successfully with our national emergencies" said MT. Thom. and We must appreciate that efficient transportation is an essential condition of national efficiency. If we are to halt and weaken our transportation | systems by state lines, by the permn- nent imposition of burdens by unwise regulation, we will make national eff ciency impossible"
 States Rights Would Not Suffer.
 Mir. Thom cited many instances in which shippers In one state were in- juriously affected by selfish regula- l ions imposed on the railroads by neighDoring states. He pointed out that federal regulation would be no in- vasion of the rights of the states but would be the means of preserving the rights which they acquired when they entered the Union, one of which was the right to the free movement of their | products across state boundaries.
 What the Railroads Advocate. ! The principles which the railroads 1 believe shoC!I '" incorporated in any i just system ation were sum marized by Mir i t,pn as follows: i l. The entire power and duty of reg ulation should be ill the hands of the national government, except as to mat ters so essentially local and incidental that they cannot be used to interfere with the efficiency of the service or the ] just rights of the carriers.
 ?. As one of the means of accom- l plishing this, a system of compulsory i federal incorporation should be adopt- ed, into which should be brought all railroad corporations engaged In inter. state or foreign commerce.
 <. The Interstate Commerce CommiS. sion under existing laws has too much to do and is charged with conflicting { prosecution and decision of cases. The latter duties should be placed in the 1 hands of new body which might be called the Federal Railroad Commis. i sion Regional Commissions should l be established in different parts of ! the country to assist the Interstate | Commerce Commission hy handling To- cal cases
 1. The power of the Commission should be extended to enable it to ore. scribe minimum rates and not merely maximum rates as at present. This would increase their power to prevent unjust diScriminations
 Justice to Public and Roads.
 ! lt should he made the duty of the Interstate Commerce Commission, in the exercise of its powers to fix req sonable rates, to so adjust these rates that they shall be just at once to the public and to the carriers To this end the Commission, in determining rates. should consider the necessity of main. taining efficient transportation and ex- tensions of facilities, the relation of expenses to rates and the rights of shippers. stockholders and creditors of the roads
 G. The Interstate Commerce Commis- sion should he invested with the DOW. CT to fix the rates for carrying mails
 '. The federal government should have exclusive power to supervise the issue of stocks and bonds by railroad carriers engaged fin interstate and for eign commerce
 s. The law should recognize the es- sential difference between things which restrain trade fin the case of ordinary mercantile concerns and those which restrain trade fin the case of common carriers. The question of competition Is not the only fair criterion.
 Q The law should expressly provide for the meeting and agreement of traf. fic or other officers of railroads in re-