The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-30
RAILROAD RATES
CASE MAY JAIL
STATE GOVERNOR
Chief Executive of Illinois
Caught in Court Deci-
i sion Tangle

II GRfcngo, July 30.-If the GoVernor
q Illinois obeys the courts and legis-
lature of his state he may find him
self in Jail for disobeying a federal
Judge. The states long continued
wrangle with the Interstate Com
marco Commission in the case OF al
legged discriminating passenger rates
to St Louis, has become a matter OF
grave Significance. according to lead
fng railroad men here.
The case involves tangle OF con-
flicttng decisions sih thel Course or
which Governor EowdehI andf- other
Illinois officials FIND themselves un-
derfthreAt of jail sentence, The state
legislature has In turn by joint vote
suuported the state officials, and At
torney General Brundage Of Illinois
I'm preparing measures of active deli
ance. The latest move is a joint reso-
luton introduced in the United States
Congress forbidding further steps TILL
the IT, s. Supreme court passes. on
the question
The wole. cast, it is pointed out, IL
illustrates admirably the illogical ma
ture of the present conflicting and
overlapping control of interstate traf-
nc by federal and state authorities.
Illinois passed law in 1907 for
bidding railroads to charge over
cents a mile between points In lne
state. In December 1914 the ROADS
entering st. Louis advanced fares Pc
tween Illinois points and that CITY 10
9s5 cents mile. The next year. Dust
ness interests in st. Louis complained
~ the Interstate Business Commits
sion that these roads were thereby
discriminating against st. Louis In
favor of nearby Illinois towns.
In October 1916, the Interstate
Commerce Commission found that on
Interstate business to st. Louis "a
cents a mile was a reasonable maxi
mum charge. The commission fur
Their directed the railroads in ques-
ton to remove the alleged discrim-
.tnation but did not rule specifically
a. to whether this should be. done by
lowering the interstate. rate to cents
a. rnile between all points in Illinois
and 8. Louis, or by raising the fare
between Illinois points to the maxi
mum 2 cents a mile allowed on IN
terstate traffic by the commission
1.-THE railroads, thereupon. chose the
latter alternative on the ground that
An Interstate Commerce Commission
ruling superceded a state law and
that al, order tos remove discrimina-
ton accompanied by a ruling that "a
cents a mile was a reasonable inter
state rate to St. Louis. was equivalent
to sanction for such fare between al
Illinois points on the routes to st
Louis.
IA suit brought by the roads in tbs
rr. s. District court at Chicago to en-:
38fh the Illinois state authorities from
Interfering with the carrying out o.
this interpretation of he commissions
ruling was lost An appeal to tbs
u. s. Supreme court for an injunc,
fion pending decision by that cour
of the merits iof the case was ais
lost. but hearing on the case wa
finally set. with the consent of tn
Illinois authorities, for October 2 o
this year. As.ti1e decision of the Su
preme court ~ that time will final,
settle the question of the validity o
the Illinois statute and the Interstate
Commissions ruling, it was assumed
by both sides that matters would re
main in suspension. until then an,
the roads made no T1ove to violat
the, Illinois statute or to re-adjus
their rates in other ways.
"A few weeks ago, however, the In
terstatea Commerce Commission
Through its attorney, Jeseph W. Foil
brought suit in the u 3. D1str1c
cduf9sfH stss fsSdfs &. y1nfbbsf the road
70 obey the Commissions anti-dis
elimination order, and Justices Hoo
and Dyer entered such a decree wit
the consent of the railroads. TIL
roads then gave notice that in accord
ance with this decree they woul
raise their Illinois rates to "a cent.
The attorney general of Illinoi
promptly replied by getting pre-
lfminary Injunction in the Suprem
&Sairt in Cook county restraining til
r6ads from raising rates. This latte
decree the roads. all but the Wabasl
efecter to obey. T
The Interstate Commerce Commi
sion then retaliated by obtain1r
from Justice Dyer in the U. S. 81
preme Court in St. Louis an opinio
in which he served notice to the sta
officials that IL they tried to enfor,
the injunction of their Supreme cou
he would jail them for contempt, go
ernor and all.
In all this complicated htigatic
there has. been no, attempt to .sett
the justice of the case. Railroad o
servers declare that the only ws
really to settle permanently such
controversy as this and prevent Il
development of others 1t to give cor
plete control of all interstate carrie
to a reorganized Interstate CONNER
Commission and thus do away. def
itely with the confusing interferen
Of overlapping state bodies.