business managers of the railroads, but they would have no responsibility for results, no responsibility of ownership, no interest in providing large sums of money necessary to keep the railroads equal to the business, no responsibility or incentive for increasing business and developing new territory.
If the commission did not adjust the rates on business principles,—and it could not,—it would have to adopt some simple basis to be applied to every one without regard to geographical conditions or to previous commercial development. It is manifestly impossible for the Government to fix the rates on the postage-stamp principle, because that system creates unjust discrimination to the greatest extent conceivable. To-day mail is transported from San Francisco to New York at as low a price as it is from Washington to Philadelphia. Either the price from Washington to Philadelphia is too high, or the price from San Francisco to New York is too low, and this principle could not be applied to the fixing of freight rates unless the Government is pre-
