In France the first railway manager I asked about secret discriminations said: “There is no such thing in France. The criminal law is very severe and it would mean imprisonment. There were complaints of favoritism a dozen years ago, but there have been none in recent years.” Other railway men told me substantially the same thing. But very different ideas were expressed by representatives of shipping interests and others. Here are some of their statements: “The railroads hold manufacturers and merchants at their mercy. They favor the great, and put the burdens on the little fellows. The tariffs are full of special rates, and 80 or 85 percent of these special rates are made simply for some favored merchant or manufacturer. The minister can reject or approve a tariff as a whole, but has no detailed power over one bad rate. If he retires a tariff the old one comes into effect. It is true that complaints are not made. What is the use? The danger is too great. Where is the merchant who dare undertake a campaign against the great companies?” I was assured that the statement of M. Cawes, vol. iv, p. 136, of the “Cours d’Économique politique,” was still true: “The benefit of reduced tariffs is accorded upon secret approaches and solicitations; the companies dispense at their will industrial prosperity and ruin.” The discrimination between localities is very great, owing largely to the way in which the railways are laid out. And “the companies defeat the national protective tariff by letting foreign goods ride more cheaply than French goods.” For example, American wheat from Havre to Paris pays 18 francs per ton, while French wheat from Ferte-Bernard to Paris, 37 miles less distance, pays 20 francs a ton. If the nation desires to favor the importation of foreign products, well and good, but it is a curious state of things for the Government to adopt a protective policy and then permit private railways to reverse, overrule, and nullify that policy.