The Indianapolis times., 1924-09-08

| WOulu ucNcT 1ldN0 IIlOOShL vi i1AAiAF
price on commodity or for
service without knowing definitely
what that service cost.
True, the commission had recon-
mended and urged a valuation Of the
railroads in It's reports, but 1t had
never been aired on the floor of the
! Senate.
| I pointed out to Senator DollNer
nthe course of the debate that there
were no means by which the COM
mission could ascertain what was a
reasonable rate; that under the law
of 1887, as proposed to be amended
| by the pending bill, it would be pos
sible for the commission to de.
| termine whether rates We're relative
| ly reasonable, but not that they were
reasonable per Sc; that one rate
could be compared with another, but
that the commission had no means of
determining whether either rate SO
compared was itself j reasonable
rate.
And when proceeded to lay down
the basis fer determining reasonable
| rates. and we had a running debate
for about an hour, when Dolliver,
who had come down until he stood
squarely in front of my desk. said:
Mr. President, 1 am disposed to
sympathiZe with the views of the
Senator from Wisconsin. l believe
that the bill ought to be amended"
And he was ORG Of five other
Senator's besides myself on the Re
publican side who voted for tht
amendment to authorize the Inter
state Commerce Commission to as
certain the value of the railroad
property OF the country.
And from that time on, Senator
Dolliver, as long as he lived, stood
with me whenever the question of
valuation was raised.
Dolliver was honeSt-minded, and
when his intellect pointed the way,
that way Dolliver went always.
Gains Friends
I do not think the stand -patters
Of the Senate understood what I
was talking about when I discusse !
the Hepburn -Dolliver bill They did
not follow me closely enough to
understand. But on the Democratic
side OF the Senate chamber l had
excellent attention. and before I
finished l had a goodly number on
the other side.
When the time came to offer
amendments, I carefully canvasseI
the Democratic side Of the cham
Der, and secured the pledges OF
enough Senators to enable me to get
| roll call on the amendments as
! offered them. | made no personal
appeal to any Senator to vote for
any amendment. All that I asked
was that they give me an opportu.
nifty to put the Senate on record.
/ And I found the Democrats very
| ready to do that.
In Offering each amendment I
! made perhaps a five or ten-minute
statement and then demanded tho
yeas and nays.
On the amendment for tho val
uation OF railways engaged in inter
| state commerce I demonstrated con
/ clusively the over-capitalization of
/ the railroads Of the country. I ar
gued that if the same SYSTEM were
applied which we were then applying
/ in Wisconsin-that is. the true value
/ Of the property ascertained, together
/ with the cost OF operating the prop
erty. and the rates so adjusted as
/ TO make a fair return TO the rail
roads upon the actual investment
made by the roads, and not upon
/ capitalization-that II would he
working saving in transportation
charges OF something more than
( $400. 600 900 to the people Of this
/ country every twelve months.
/ Copyright. 1924. NEA Service. Incl
/ Continued in Our Next Issue)