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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1899)
\V- < 8 < Cbe Conservative. HLANCIIAKU ON CUT HATES. [ In nn address at the Banquet of the Nationnl Association of Merchants and Travelers at the Auditorium the fernier joint trafllc com missioner suggests plans to abolish discrim ination in freight and passenger tariffs ] , George R. Blnnchnrcl , late commis sioner of the joint traffic association , in a speech on ' 'transportation problems" at the spring banquet of the National Association of Merchants and Travelers on March 8 , advanced arguments in favor of national legislation permitting the formation of pools among railroads for the purpose of maintaining uniform rates , advocated the development of an American merchant marine , spoke strongly in favor of national expansion , and urged the co-operation of merchants with railway men in efforts to check discriminations in rates on the part of railroads in favor of individuals or lo calities , a practice for which he held that merchants were in large measure responsible. The banquet , which was incident to the third of the spring series of mercan tile excursions to Chicago , was held at the Auditorium hotel. Vice Chairman J. V. Farwell , jr. , introduced Martin Howard , of C. M. Henderson & Co. , as presiding officer , and Mr. Howard in a brief speech presented the speaker of the evening. Mr. Blanch ard began with a review of the original problems of transportation in America in the development of water ways , and traced the growth of carrier facilities through the periods of the na tion's history. The charges against railroads made by the Cullom com mittee in 1880 were reviewed. Some of them , the speaker said , had been substantially corrected , others remained for solution. Of the latter class he dealt with several in detail. Concerning the claim in the Cullom committee's report that railway bonded debts and capitalizations induced ex cessive charges he said : "Great reductions in rates have taken place during a period when capitals were being lavishly increased. Exces sive capitalizations invite earlier bank ruptcies and not higher rates to prevent them. " TalUs of Discriminations. The charge of discriminations as be tween individuals or communities , Mr. Blanchard said , was the great problem remaining for solution. He continued , in part as follows : "Direct discriminations in rates to individuals I dividuals in any locality or from various points by rebates or other illegal devices are vicious and corruptive to both rail way and merchant. Great complica tious attend the geographical adjust ments of rates between competing local ities and lines. In no other country are such intricacies encountered. Their formulation has been assisted mainly by original conferences among the railroac companies , which the tendency of law seems to forbid , nnd by subsequent con- 'eronces between them and the trade jodies respectively interested in such solutions as to various goods and arti cles. To that mutual end I value such conferences as this. "A new element has recently been pro- ected into our interstate freight prob- ems. Wo have annexed Hawaii. Our flag was sent to Cuba , Porto Rico , and the Philippines in the interests of free dom and fraternity and in the keeping of valorous men , and today , regardless of all of our differences as to method or results , it stands and floats for all its splendid old traditions and our united mtioual love. But it also stands for the dollars and cents of and enlarged com merce , and no man or nation should de crease it to the harm of American enter prise or toil. "Beyond our own possessions inter state freight problems create interna- ional problems. They involve millions of transactions , and the proof that they are rapidly and equitably adjusted ap pears in the fact that complaints to the carriers or the national commission on this point are rare. For Equitable Turin's. "The detail and text of equitable and uniform tariffs and classifications being m this advanced stage of solution after Sfty years of thorough interstate service , ; here remains as the final and greatest problem their absolute observance alike by carrier and patron and the cessation of all individual and locality discrimin ations. "I have repeatedly called public atten tion to some salient comparisons in this connection. The government pays fixed and stable rates , established by law , for the carriage of its mails and supplies , and does not seek rebates for itself as representing the people. The import tariffs of the country are maintained in flexibly to all governmental patrons. So are its postage rates , land sales , in ternal taxes , stamp charges , and consu lar fees. Every citizen of this country expects this impartiality and would re sist its violation. I have never heard a reason advanced why the railway re venues of the country , being found rea sonable and legal in all respects and be ing three times those of the government , are not fully as desirable of maintenance with like impartiality and inflexibility under government supervision. Remedy Is Proposed. "It being conceded by all that the pro posal is desirable , how shall fair rate , legally made and charged , be adhered to ? It seems necessary to this end to secure , first , a sound and fairly expressed judgment from the merchants , for warders , and receivers of the country second , that such sentiment be given persistent expression at Washington to influence the passage of amended anc reasonable transportation laws and their execution subject to law through a na tional railway commission ; third , that ; he railway companies shall approach ; hese desirable results in a spirit of fair ness and justice , and that they recognize still farther that , transportation being argely a function of the government , ; hey shall equally aid in forming this desirable triple alliance of merchants , government , and railways for mutual good. "The final word to be said upon the rate discrimination problem and its cure is that its solution can be assisted and made equitable in operation by the auth orization of pools , to pass under the su pervision of the Interstate Commerce commission , the rates proposed to be charged thereunder to be attached and made publicly known , and to which the Interstate Commerce commissioners shall first assent or give hearings if they doubt their equity of charges. This gen eral proposition was approved in 1894 by eighty-seven of the trade bodies of the union , representing twenty-three states. "The next agency of solution I would invoke would be a national classification , which I personally believe to be both practicable and desirable. A further national aid will be to continue enlarged and public consular reports , and to that end to appoint more business-men as such officers. "Finally , being a firm believer in our destiny to lead the world's commercial possession , I would look to send more ships to sea under our own flag. It is a national hardship to have a foreign bottom tom with an American cargo on top. This policy is needful not only now but in already contemplated carrying splend ors of the future. We want to believe in our country and public and interna tional justice , but let us begin here. " Chicago Tribune. ANTI-IMPERIALIST LEAGUE. The Anti-Imperialist League has rea son to believe , by the tone of its corres pondents throughout the country and from indications which are beginning to appear in the press , that the majority of the American people view with disgust and abhorrence the miserable war in the Philippines. They are learning to ap preciate that it is prosecuted upon the sole authority of the president , with a view to the ultimate acquisition of ter ritory for the exercise of the thoroughly unpopular "colonial" government , costly in money , wasteful of human life , and prejudicial to home industry. The league , which has conducted a constantly increasing correspondence , circulated patriotic publications by the hundreds of thousands , promoted public meetings in the name of liberty , and supplied the loyal press with material for its use , desires to carry on its work and to bring home to all good people the importance of the action demanded by
