Editing Esch–Cummins Act

The '''Transportation Act, 1920,''' commonly known as the '''Esch–Cummins Act''', was a [[United States federal law]] that returned [[railroad]]s to [[private sector|private]] operation after [[World War I]], with much regulation.<ref>Esch–Cummins Act, Pub.L. 66-152, {{USStat|41|456}}. Approved 1920-02-28.</ref> It also officially encouraged private consolidation of railroads and mandated that the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] (ICC) ensure their profitability. The act was named after Rep. [[John J. Esch]] and Sen. [[Albert B. Cummins]]. 

==Background==
The United States had entered World War I in April 1917, and the government found that the nation's railroads were not prepared to serve the war effort. On December 26, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] had ordered that U.S. railroads be [[nationalized]] in the public interest. This order was implemented through the creation of the [[United States Railroad Administration]].<ref>Presidential Proclamation 1419, December 26, 1917, under authority of the [[Army Appropriations Act of 1916|Army Appropriation Act]], {{USStat|39|45}}, August 29, 1916.</ref> [[United States Congress|Congress]] ratified the order in the ''Railway Administration Act of 1918.''<ref>Railway Administration Act of 1918, Pub. L. 65-107, {{USStat|40|451}}. Approved 1918-03-21.</ref>

==Major provisions==
* Terminated federal control of railroads from March 1, 1920.
* Authorized the government to make settlements with railroad carriers for matters caused by nationalization, such as [[Nationalized#Compensation|compensation]] and other expenses.
* Directed the ICC to prepare and adopt a plan for the consolidation of the railway properties of the United States into a limited number of systems. ''See'' [[Interstate Commerce Commission#Ripley Plan to consolidate railroads into regional systems|Ripley Plan to consolidate railroads into regional systems]].
* Granted authority to the ICC to set minimum shipping rates, oversee railroads' financial operations, and regulate acquisitions and mergers.
* Established procedures for settling [[labor dispute]]s between railroads and employees. A [[Railroad Labor Board]] was created to regulate wages and settle disputes.<ref>{{cite book |title=The American Railroad Problem: A Study in War and Reconstruction |last=Sharfman |first=I. Leo|year=1921 |publisher=Century Co. |location=New York |pages=382ff |url=https://archive.org/details/americanrailroa01shargoog }}</ref>
<!-- Add more detail here about various provisions, esp. ratemaking and new management provisions of ICC -->

==Subsequent legislation==
Title III of the Esch–Cummins Act, which pertained to labor disputes, was repealed in 1926 by the [[Railway Labor Act]].<ref>Railway Labor Act, {{USStat|44|577}}. Approved 1926-05-20. {{USC|45|151}} et seq.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Interstate Commerce Act]] of 1887
* [[Elkins Act]] of 1903
* [[Mann-Elkins Act]] of 1910
* [[Railway Labor Act]] of 1926
* [[History of rail transport in the United States]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* E.G. Buckland, "Three Years of the Transportation Act," ''Yale Law Journal,'' vol. 32, no. 7 (May 1923), pp.&nbsp;658–675. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/789163 In JSTOR].
* A.B. Cummins, [https://archive.org/details/transportationac00cumm ''The Transportation Act, 1920.''] n.c.: n.p., October 1922.
* Colin J. Davis, ''Power at Odds: The 1922 National Railroad Shopmen's Strike.'' Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997.
* W.N. Doak, "Labor Policies of the Transportation Act from the Point of View of Railroad Employees," ''Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York,'' vol. 10, no. 1 (July 1922), pp.&nbsp;39–48. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1172103 In JSTOR].
* Frank H. Dixon, "Functions and Policies of the Railroad Labor Board," ''Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York,'' vol. 10, no. 1 (July 1922), pp.&nbsp;19–28. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1172101 In JSTOR].
* Frederick, John H. (1929-04). "Federal Regulation of Railway Securities Under the Transportation Act of 1920". Journal of Political Economy. 37 (2): 175–202
* Ben W. Hooper, "Labor, Railroads and the Public," ''American Bar Association Journal,'' vol. 9, no. 1 (Jan. 1923), pp.&nbsp;15–18. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/25711112 In JSTOR].
* Rogers MacVeagh, ''The Transportation Act, 1920: Its Sources, History, and Text, Together with Its Amendments to the Interstate Commerce Act...'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1923.
* Edgar J. Rich, "The Transportation Act of 1920," ''American Economic Review,'' vol. 10, no. 3 (Sept. 1920), pp.&nbsp;507–527. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1809047 In JSTOR].
* [[Henry R. Seager]], "Railroad Labor and the Labor Problem," ''Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York,'' vol. 10, no. 1 (July 1922), pp.&nbsp;15–18. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1172100 In JSTOR].
* T. W. van Metre, "Railroad Regulation under the Transportation Act," ''Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York,'' vol. 10, no. 1 (July 1922), pp.&nbsp;3–12. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1172099 In JSTOR].
* Harry D. Wolf, ''The Railroad Labor Board.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1927.
* H.D. Wolf, "Criticisms of the Railroad Labor Board and an Evaluation of Its Work," ''University Journal of Business,'' vol. 5, no. 1 (Jan. 1927), pp.&nbsp;1–34. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2354731 In JSTOR].
{{Refend}}

{{Woodrow Wilson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esch-Cummins Act}}
[[Category:United States railroad regulation]]
[[Category:1920 in American law]]
[[Category:United States federal transportation legislation]]
[[Category:1920 in rail transport]]
[[Category:66th United States Congress]]