ven seriously injured. It is a fact that
the very legislation of which railroad managers so bitterly complain has
had a beneficial influence on railroad earnings. Thus, in Iowa, where,
according to the testimony of railroad men, Grangerism has reigned
supreme during the past few years, railroad earnings increased between
1889 and 1892 from $37,000,000 to $44,000,000, or more than 18 per cent.
Still better results could have been secured if the railroad managers
had been in sympathy with the law. There is no doubt that they would
gladly suffer, or rather have their companies suffer, a loss of revenue,
if this would lead to a repeal of the laws and restore to them the power
to manipulate rates for their own purposes.

But the General comes to the main point of his article when he
complains against "the unreasonable requirements and restrictions of the
Interstate Commerce Law." He says:

"Principal among these are what is known as the 'long and
short haul clause,' which prohibits railway companies from
receiving any greater compensation in the aggregate for a
shorter than for a longer haul over the same line in the
same direction, the shorter being included within the longer
distance; and the anti-pooling clause, which prevents
railway companies from entering into any agreement with each
other for an apportionment of joint earnings."

If we carefully examine the railroad literature of the last four years,
we find that it has concentrated its efforts toward the creation of
public sentiment in favor of the repeal of these two clauses of the
Interstate Commerce Law. Railroad men are well aware of the fact that,
with these two clauses stricken out, the Interstate Commerce Law would
be practically valueless, and in clamoring for their repeal they evince
a persistency worthy of a better cause. The practices which these
clauses aim to prohibit cannot be defended upon any consideration of
justice and equity, and it is folly to expect the American people to
sacrifice their convictions of right to the selfish interest of a
comparatively small number of persons interested in the manipulation of
railroad stocks.

The July, 1891, number of the _Forum_ contains an article on the
operation of the Interstate Commerce Law from the pen of Aldace F.
Walker, formerly a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and now
commissioner of the Western Traffic Association. Mr. Walker evidently