The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1867-04-18
SPEECH OF
HON.. WIN. A. WALLACE,
SENATOR FROM CLEARFIELD,
In the Pennsylvania Senate March, 1867, on the
General Railroad Law.

General Railroad Law,
Mr.. WALLACE. Mr.. Speaker,
this subject is SO important in its bears
ings upon the future of our Common
wealth and so directly affects my imme.
diate constituents, that l deem it my du
ty to place upon record my reasons for
the several votes [ have given and shall
give upon the bill. tits an admitted
fact that a majority Of the people of
Pennsylvania are favorable to the pass
age of " free or " general" railroad
law. Both candidates for Guberna,
torial honor at the late lection placed
themselves upon reoord in its favor.
Both the incoming and outgoing Gov.
ernor recommended it. The Committee
on Railroads of this body recognized
this fact and reports favorably the bill
before us, which is entitled -" Au act
to authorize the formation of railway
companies" I cannot but regret that
the committee has not given us more
liberal bill it is better than none, but
it is by no means what it should be.
Its title expresses what it is, but l
fear the authority given is so defective
| in its details, so restrictive in its cssen-
tial features, that it can never be a
general " railroad law. Deficient as
it is, restricted as are its details, it
seems our plain duty to acceptsfrom the
committee and the majority of this body
bill which they have persistently re-
fused to permit US to amend. If we
refuse to accept this, our work must be
recommended at the bottom, whilst, if
we accept our inevitable fate and point
ont the defects in the bill, concentrate
public opinion upon them, force them
into the canvass before the people and
thus compel candidates for place to
commit themselves in favor of their
correction, we shall be enabled to amend
and reform the law in future sessions
We dare not assume that the House will
refuse to amend the bill as the Senate
has, and it becomes our duty to send it
to them in as good form as we can.
Who will undertake to say that, in
placing upon the statue books law
recognizing the free railroad system as
part or our policy, We are gaining
nothing? 1t is, in reality,a victory
over the opponents of this system that
we have thus wrung from them. They
reluctantly yield, yet yield they do, and
we compel them to place upon record
their solemn admission that free rails
road system is, and ought to be, the
policy Of Pennsylvania. This is the
great, leading, fundamental idea in the
bill, and its details will be formed and
shaped to mould and carry out the
wishes Of the people thus. recognized.
We rnay fail to aid in shaping those de-
tails, but our SUCCESSORS will find it an
imperative duty. Entertaining these
views, and having been, in al! its stages,
and during my entire legislative career,
an advocate of the adoption of this
system, | cannot now refuse to vote for
the bill because | have failed to amend
it as my judgment dictated, and my
earnest efforts have demonstrated, was
my wish
Upon the consideration of the bill in
committee Of the whole, it seemed as
though amendments were 70 be permit
ted upon repeated divisions of the
committee, the friends of liberal policy
were successful, and valuable additions
were engrafted upon the bill. Whether
this was because the yeas and nays
could not be called, or for what reason
it occurred | cannot say, but the tactics
were changed, and, upon test vote,
the committee of the whole arose and
were refused leave to sit again. The
effect of this vote was to cut off all the
amendments that had been made, and
allow the bill to como up on second
reading precisely as it had been report
ed from the Railroad Committee. 1t is
a significant fact that all of the Senators
who voted for that motion have since
been found voting steadily against
amendment.
The first section of the bill authorizes
the creation of a railway corporation Of
not less than nine peisons, and fix as
the amount of capital stock at not less
than fifteen thousand dollars per mile.
1t was proposed to reduce this to ten
thousand dollars by the friends of this
more liberal policy.
The tenth section of the bill author.
iz9s the mortgage of the railway to an
amount not exceeding twenty thousand
dollars, and it seems fair to suppose
that in localities in which railroads can
be constructed for ten thousand dollars
per mile, those who invest their money
and sink itin grading and bridging
should be permitted to execute mort
gage on the road Tor supcrstructure and
equipment There are many portion;
of the Commonwealth in which this
amount is fully adequate to these pur'
poses, and it seems like imposing unnec
essary weight to compel the subscrip
tion Of one third more, with It's ac
compaying addition of taxation
Surely this policy is not liberal it il