The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

758 THE FREEMAN Decemberedies based on interpretationswhich probably weren't valid eventhen. They were men of advancingyears who clung to ideas whichhad lost contact with the realworld they were supposed to belegislating for.Robert M. LaFollette foughtvaliantly as late as 1917 to preventany rate increase. An increasedidn't fit in with his ideasof Commission regulation. La­Follette's reputation was based onhis earlier career in Wisconsinwhere his Wisconsin RailroadCommission was considered amodel of the genre. Elsewhere ithas been shown that this Commissioncame close to depriving Milwaukeeof both power and transportationa few years later.Theodore Roosevelt's blockingof E. H. Harriman's control andrevitalization of the Alton Railroadserved only to provide firstratepublicity for an exceptionalcase of looting a railroad. And itkept the Alton from its full potentialin the railroad system untilafter World War II.William Howard Taft succeededin alienating every shade of opinionon the railroad question. Buthe proudly took credit for theParcel Post Law. This forced therailroads to haul packages as mailat much lower rates than they hadreceived for similar packageswhen handled as express - notvery helpful when earnings werealready jeopardized and the roadsthirsting for capital.Louis D. Brandeis, while supposedlyprotecting the "public,"played major roles in all three"Denials." In fact, he made thehearings pretty much his show.He cleverly trapped railroad officialsand twisted the effect of theirtestimony, while refutationsdidn't get the publicity his presentationreceived. He was on theSupreme Court when the AdamsonAct (8-hour railroad day)came before that body. He servedneither the railroads nor the public.The 8-hour day crisis as it builtup under Wilson demonstrates thesilliness of the time, the age, themovement. Martin describes a dramaticscene at the White Housewhere Wilson had summonedthirty railroad· presidents:If the railroads would cooperate hewas willing to do all he could to getthe ICC to grant rate relief, providedthat the eight-hour commissionrecommended it. Pointing his fingerat the. railroad presidents, he declared,"If a strike comes, the publicwill know where the responsibilityrests. It will not be upon me."The crisis had been forced uponthe railroads by denying themnormal economic freedom. Placingthe entire onus for a strike on therailroad presidents was not in ac-