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Show -3- with charges and counter charges being hurled back and forth through the news media, what is the real truth about the Interstate Commerce Commission and its regulatory functions? Is it necessary, or would America be better off without it? As we celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of America's declaration of independence, most Americans are proud of the magnificent accomplishments of the past 200 years. Yet none of these can match the development of our excellent motor carrier transportation system, or the federal agency which regulates it, which had its beginnings during the railroad era. The history of transportation growth and development in the United States is the history of the nation itself. The United States, with its three million plus square miles of land of every known physical description, offered some mighty challenges to Americans as they tamed the virgin prairies, deserts, and mountains. After the railroads joined the nation together at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10, 1869, the growth and development of the nation was assured. Commerce between east and west could now take place with reasonable speed and at supposedly reduced costs. But as the years passed the railroads lost sight of the public interest. In 1886 a committee appointed by Congress to investigate the railroads found that "discrimination between persons, places and commodities was common. Stated rates were only a place for bargaining to begin for the large shipper, whereas the small shipper without bargaining power was forced to pay the quoted price. Rebates were common." The investigation disclosed that "not only did the railroad |
