55 6 Presidential Addresses 



terstate Commerce Act. The cardinal provisions of 

 that act were that railway rates should be just and 

 reasonable and that all shippers, localities, and com- 

 modities should be accorded equal treatment. A 

 commission was created and endowed with what 

 were supposed to be the necessary powers to execute 

 the provisions of this act. 



That law was largely an experiment. Experi- 

 ence has shown the wisdom of its purposes, but has 

 also shown, possibly that some of its requirements 

 are wrong, certainly that the means devised for the 

 enforcement of its provisions are defective. Those 

 who complain of the management of the railways 

 allege that established rates are not maintained; 

 that rebates and similar devices are habitually re- 

 sorted to ; that these preferences are usually in favor 

 of the large shipper; that they drive out of business 

 the smaller competitor; that while many rates are 

 too low, many others are excessive; and that gross 

 preferences are made, affecting both localities and 

 commodities. Upon the other hand, the railways 

 assert that the law by its very terms tends to produce 

 many of these illegal practices by depriving carriers 

 of that right of concerted action which they claim 

 is necessary to establish and maintain non-discrim- 

 inating rates. 



The act should be amended. The railway is a 

 public servant. Its rates should be just to and open 

 to all shippers alike. The government should see to 

 it that within its jurisdiction this is so and should 

 provide a speedy, inexpensive, and effective remedy 



