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Interstate commerce--Law and legislation

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Chicago Burlington Railroad Company vs. Hudson J. Winnett, et al.

Chicago Burlington Railroad Company vs. Hudson J. Winnett, et al.

Memorandum opinion filed in the case of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, a corporation, vs. Hudson J. Winnett, J. A. Williams, and Henry T. Clarke, Jr., as members of the Nebraska State Railway Commission. The memorandum serves to deny the complainant’s request for a temporary injunction, dissolve the subsequent restraining order, and sustain the defendant’s demurrer to the complainant’s bill.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-11-06

Creator(s)

Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Nebraska, Lincoln Division

Letter from James Rudolph Garfield to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from James Rudolph Garfield to Theodore Roosevelt

Commissioner of Corporations Garfield summarizes for President Roosevelt portions of the oil report. The report uncovered the practice of railroad lines in the Northeast and Midwest offering Standard Oil Company secret discounted rates in the interstate transportation of oil. Both railroad and Standard Oil representatives deny any wrongdoing.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-16

Creator(s)

Garfield, James Rudolph, 1865-1950

Letter from Brooks Adams to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Brooks Adams to Theodore Roosevelt

Brooks Adams explains to President Roosevelt his reservations about passing the Hepburn Act which would give the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to set Railroad rates as it “lays down no principle for establishing a reasonable rate.” He speculates on the ramifications of passing the bill and of accepting compromising amendments.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-01

Creator(s)

Adams, Brooks, 1848-1927

Letter from Martin A. Knapp to Stephen B. Elkins

Letter from Martin A. Knapp to Stephen B. Elkins

Chairman Knapp explains the Interstate Commerce Commission’s recommendations for amendments to the act to regulate interstate commerce to Senator Elkins. Knapp writes that amendments are necessary to clarify the meaning of the act. The amendments enlarge the act’s jurisdiction and give the Interstate Commerce Commission greater authority in setting railroad rates.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-28

Creator(s)

Knapp, Martin A., 1843-1923

Letter from Brooks Adams to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Brooks Adams to Theodore Roosevelt

Brooks Adams writes to Theodore Roosevelt about the importance of establishing federal authority to set railroad rates. Adams represents Spokane, which pays nearly double what Portland pays. Adams urges Roosevelt to see to it that the new bill provide a “long and short haul clause” forbidding discriminatory rates that charge more for the lesser distance than the greater distance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-29

Creator(s)

Adams, Brooks, 1848-1927

Letter from Charles E. Townsend to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Charles E. Townsend to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Townsend of Michigan relays his correspondence with Representative John Sharp Williams of Mississippi to President Roosevelt regarding a pending railroad bill. Williams asserts that railroad companies are spreading propaganda in the South, suggesting that a strengthened Interstate Commerce Commission will nullify Jim Crow segregation in coach accommodations. Townsend offers counterpoints to these concerns, and suggests saying nothing about race in order to protect the bill. Addressing Roosevelt directly, he describes his draft of the railroad bill and discloses having sent a copy to Attorney General William H. Moody. Townsend also encloses a letter from Williams, which wishes Roosevelt to see.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-03

Creator(s)

Townsend, Charles E. (Charles Elroy), 1856-1924

Speech delivered by William H. Taft

Speech delivered by William H. Taft

Secretary of War Taft discusses the “misuse and abuse” that has led to the concentration of capital “in the hands of the comparatively few,” and the demand of the public for legislation to restrain, regulate, and supervise “the exercise of the mighty means of good and evil which organized capital has proven to be.” Taft stresses, however, it is important to keep in mind that wealth used as capital for the production of goods and services is essential to the life and comfort of the people, and without it, the country would not have prospered. Taft provides a history of government involvement in regulating “organized capital” through legislation and discusses present efforts to expand the rights of laborers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-29

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Letter from J. W. Midgley to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from J. W. Midgley to Theodore Roosevelt

J. W. Midgley advises President Roosevelt on the course to pursue regarding private railroad cars and gives his suggestions on pending railroad legislation. Midgley also discusses his time on the Interstate Commerce Commission and clarifies several erroneous impressions regarding the Commission. Midgley vows his support to Roosevelt’s “very laudable effort to suppress abuses” among the railroads and other transportation industries.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-02-08

Creator(s)

Midgley, J. W. (John William), 1843-1922

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte forwards a letter to President Roosevelt. It raises the question of whether it is advisable to recommend any modifications to the Sherman Anti-Trust Law or the Interstate Commerce Law at the present session of Congress, and how such modifications should be framed. Both the government and trusts want changes made to the existing laws, but the kinds of changes they desire are very different. Bonaparte concludes that it will not be possible to come to an agreement with the trusts about how the laws should be modified.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-02

Creator(s)

Bonaparte, Charles J. (Charles Joseph), 1851-1921

Memorandum from Milton Dwight Purdy to Charles J. Bonaparte

Memorandum from Milton Dwight Purdy to Charles J. Bonaparte

Assistant Attorney General Purdy reports his thoughts to Attorney General Bonaparte regarding legislation to be undertaken in the wake of the financial panic. Rather than formulate new legislation in response to the crisis, Purdy details the “evils” of the Sherman Act so that Congress may address them. Purdy argues that the Sherman Act outlaws all trusts, no matter if they are good or bad, which is impractical to enforce. Purdy believes it would be better and more expedient to outlaw the bad practices of certain trusts rather than making all trusts illegal. If Congress does not agree, however, then all methods of business should be modified to “meet the literal requirements” of the Sherman Act, by creating some simple and efficient legislation to immediately break up all trusts.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-04

Creator(s)

Purdy, Milton Dwight, 1866-1937