Evening star., 1947-09-07

There is no jingoistic motive bel
to the Chief Executive by some of
Far West Asks
FreightRateAid
Not Being in Initial Suit,
Area Now Finds Self
Left Out in Cold
By Fletcher F. IsbeII
The awkward freight rate posi-
ton in which Mountain Pacific
States find themselves, now that
railroad charges on manufactured
goods have been ordered equalized
throughout the rest Of the country,
was pointed up last week. The
State of Washington asked the In
terstate Commerce Commission not
to leave it out OF the equalization
plans.
Other far Western States can be
expected to follow suit, for all ter
ritory west of the Rocky Mountains
was excluded from the commissions
class-rate decision Of
May IS, 1945. In a suit brought by
the Southern Governors Conference
and supported by some Plains States,
the ICC found then that the freight
rate structure Of the North and
East Disseminated against Southern
and Western industry, and ordered
national uniformity.
Theirs for the Asking
Asa start the ICC directed a
10 per cent increase in rates on
goods in the North
and East, and 10 per cent decrease
in the South and West as far
as the Rocky Mountains, further
to follow after in
dividual Investigations. The Or
der was held up pending Supreme
Court appeal, but four months ago
that body, in a To decision, found
ample evidence of discrimination
and prejudice as charged, and the
changes went into effect last month.
Washington, Oregon, California,
Idaho and all other States west of
the Rockies are out in the cold at
the moment, however. They prob
ably feel the chill more poignantly
because hindsignt. now SHOWS they
stood by during the original lititga-
ton, when they could have Joined
1t and had the lower rates for the
asking. In a telling sentence in its
1915 decision the 1CC said: Rates
and to and from, Mountain
Pacific territory are not at issue
in this proceeding, and no evidence
was introduced with respect to those
rates by any shipper or carrier
interests in that territory"
Invitation Accepted
It went on, however, to extend
virtual invitation to those States:
Whether an investigation concern
ing class rates within, and to and
from, that territory will be neces-
sary in order to apply the uniform
classification, and in order to har-
such class rates with the
class rates herein prescribed, will
be later determined"
The current petition of Washing
ton represents an acceptance Of this
and her sister States are
likely to follow suit. With the rate
reduction already in effect In the
States Immediately east Of them,
they are marooned on costly eco
nomic plateau 80 far as transport
Ing their manufactures Is concerned.
Having established the principle
and extended the invitation, the
[CC is likely to grant the requested
relief. Any serious opposition
by means of court appeal
would seem futile in the face of the
Supreme Court decision.
When these developments tran
spire and the immense task of in
dividual rate examinations Is set
lied, the Nation will be well on its
way to a uniform rate system. While
some early spasmodic complaints
have led to statements that sthe
aght for such q system was an old
,ne, actually the first properly Or
yanized and financed campaign is
10 years old. About the
middle Of 1886 representatives of
public service commissions Of sew
sral Southern States met In Atlanta,
1a., to discuss ways Of correcting
.ate inequities. The meeting grew
>ut of an exchange of correspond
.nce among themselves, although
he one individual perhaps most
was the late Edgar Wat
rims Of Atlanta, a commerce attor-
aey formerly an ICC examiner.
No Bearing on Arnall Suit
They began a legal case, but soon
realized that If it were to be sue
,essful the prestige and support OF
Southern Governors and other
political leaders would have to be
enlisted. At about that time L. w.
Chip Robert of Atlanta became a
of the Democratic Ma
;ional Committee. Mr.. Watkins and
;wo fellow townsmen, WALTER NC
Donald and Eugene Hart, convinced
1im Of the merits Of the campaign
md it was primarily through Mr.
Roberts efforts that the Southern
Conference was organ
zed and its first objective made the
of discriminatory freight