Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-10
THRONE IN DRIVE
At RAIL HEADS
IOWA RATE EXPERT DECLARES
INCREASED RATES ARE NOT
NECESSARY.
SAYS EASTERN LINES
MlsREPREsENT FACTS
Thorne Declares War Has Brought No
injury to Transportation Business
Demands Part Of General Scramble
in ProKteerins-Takes Rap at Fed
erai Comptroller.

Thorne, representing live stock. grain
ard oil shippers before the interstate
commerce commission i'll the re-opened
Is per cent advance rate case, made
public last night letter 10 John Skel-
ton Williams. comptroller of the cur
rency. taking issue with a recent state
ment by the comptroller supporting the
efforts OF the railroads TO obtain higher
rates.
He challenged assertions OF the
cS-l>t1 el md tlar / TO A. sar
there in behalf of the shippers oppes-
ing the advance
The letter follows:
Text of Letter.
Dear Sir: have read with interest
your statement in support OF the rail-
roads in their present attempt 10 in
crease the freight tax on the Ansri-
can people another SIS, 900, 900 annually.
You have given this statement 10 the
newspapers OF the country on the very
eve OF the trial OF the case before the
interstate commerce commission
Il will not even suggest that you are
lending the prestige of your great Of
fee to help the railroads stampede the
commission. for / know you would not
stoop 10 such a base undertaking, and
if you did so II would be useless. for
have confidence in the courage and in
tegrity of that great tribunal to believe
that it can not be stampeded. If that
were not true the time has arrived to
abandon the regulation of railroads in
America.
Improper Interference.
II wonder. perchance. If the idea has
ever occurred to you that one depart
ment of the government should not try
10 dictate TO another department what,
is It's duty on matters OF grave impor-
lance. Would you welcome a public
merce commission telling you what you
should do on a matter OF importance
which you were called upon to decide?
the commission is capable of
deciding thiS case upon the facts pre-
sented to it. and not upon newspaper
interview anr prcnunciamentos.
TN regard to the value of our rail-
roads as reflected in the market prices
On sureties you are quoted as saying
that railroad sureties have sustained
the heaviest shrinkages, and that they
have been the leaders in the wornward
of values. I challenge that
statement as untrue. If you have facts
to substantiate such a claim II is your
duty to present them to the interstate
commerce commission at once But you
know that you dare not attempt to tes-
tify to such a statement under oath on
the witness stand.
No Basis For Claims.
There is not an iota of evidence in
support of your claim that has been
offered by the railroads or any hIreling
OF the railroads in this proceeding. The
facts are precisely the opposite of what
you claim and we are going to prove it.
II you doubt this invite your attend
ance at the hearing next Friday before
the interstate commerce commission
and dare you to question the accuracy
Of solitary statement of facts that
will be offered on behalf of the nation
al organization of live stock shippers,
grain shippers and the independent oil
men of the United States who are fight
ing this advance. Thes organizations
have an aggregate membership of over
,oo0OQp shippers. They are entitled to
respectful hearing before tribunal
not subjected to pressure or outside in
fluenaes. UnIesy you can substantiate
these statements on the witness stand.
under cross examination. your state
ments are not entitled to the confidence
either OF this commission or of the
American people.
Representative railroad sureties as
a class have declined in value at a less
rate than those Of industrials, public
,tt,itie Or even ds Of I ? unftoT
wide financial situation that has at
fected the borrowing power OF all men
and of all nations. The decline in se-
curities values is not due to Inadequate
railroad credit or inadequate railroad
earnings: 1t is due to the war, you
must know that fact to be true.
Railroads Not Injured
This great human catastrophe, that
is paralyzing so many manufacturing
and industrial enterprises not directly
connected with the making of war mu-
nitions, has entirely failed to injure our
railroads. for the record. when COM
pleted will show that railroads dur
ing the past two years while this great
struggle has been waging have pros
pered better than during any other