The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-05-13
The Railroad Fare BIN Defeat.
ed-HOW It Was Done.

" INV ~ " 80 A@0ACe
tits greatly to be regretted that the ex-
.eelleut bill, reported BY the special com
mittee Of the House OF Representatives Of
our State Legislature, appointed to inves-
tieate the charges Of the NJ. 4 C. R. R. for
freight and passengers, failed to become a
law. It passed the House by the almost
unanimous vote Of p to Z, but when It
went to the Senate, tbe Railroad interest
rallied in force to defeat it, (as the bill aP-
piled to all railroads in the STATED and they
80 far succeeded a. to prevent its obtaining
a majority Of the senate-ths final vote
standing Is for, to Is against it's passage.
The contest over the bill was very warm,
and there Is good reason to believe, that
had not action upon it been purPosely
STAYED of by its opponents, until the
closing hours of the session, it would have
become law,
As our readers are specially interested
in this measure, inasmuch as it grew out
Of the onerous and excessive charges made
by the NJ. & G. R. R. for freight and pas
sengers, we copy from the Columbus cor
respondent of the Cincinnati Commercial,
the following interesting details Of the
bill, and the contest which resulted in its
defeat. Though defeated, the thanks of
the people Of this county, Of Ross and Of
Clinton, are due to our Senator and Rep
resentative, Messrs. Dickey- and Hughes,
for their efforts to seeure its passage.
The Commercial correspondent says;
The very interesting railroad war intro
duced into this General Assembly BY the
provisions Of Mr.. Betts' bill, ended last
night at midnight. The contest has been
veTv warm, and although it resulted in
the defeat of the bill, il has been very
creditable to the friends and advocates of
the measure. This bill was intended to
regulate and prevent the charging OF exOr-
bifnnt and unreasonable rates of tariff by
the railroads Of this stale. L did not
e K rates different from those now prescrib-
ed by Itw for most roads, as interpreted by
the Attorney. General, but it made its vio-
lation a misdemeanOr, and subjected those
authorizing or doing il 20 the penalty Of
fine or imprisonment
Another very important provision was
to prevent the Discrimination against the
cities and small capitalists Of Ohio, now
.practised by railroads, in shipping freight
from Eastern cities over several hundred
miles of railway for a less rate than
thew will ship the same freight from
city within the State for few miles over
the same road,
The history Of the measure IS not unim-
portant. In response to numerous petit
tions and resolutions of public meetings,
making complaints against the Marietta
and Cincinnati Railroad, presented to the
General Assembly, the House appointed
the Attorney General and q select commit
tee Of FIVE 10 investigate the complaints
and report such legislation as was neces-
sary to remedy existing evils.
The Attorney General reported upon the
legal points, and the committee, after some
weeks Investigation, became convinced
that Wholesome legislation wRs q necessity
on behalf of the people. This bill was re-
ported, and, after a contest, passed the
House by a vote of 72to z. In the Senate,
it was referred to the Standing Committee
on Railroads. Before this committee ap-
peared Gov. DenRison, Judge Thurman,
Judge Swan, Mr.. McClintock, attorney for
Marietta and Cincinnati road, and others
in the interest of the railroads, and the
mem bers of the special committee OF the
House and Senator YeOman in behalf of
the people. The committee recommended
the indefinite postponement Of the BILL
The report was not adopted, but the bill
was re-referred to a select committee, COM
posed OF Senators YeOman, King, Biggs, ,Har-
mouth and Lawrence. Before this commit
tee appeared Mr.. McClintock, in the interest
of the railroads, and Mr.. Belts, in the in
terest Of the bill. This committee recon- !
mended its passage. The Senate re-re- |
ferred the bill again to heStanding Com /
mittee on Railroads, where, it was sup |
posed, it would die Of strangulation. But
the friends of the bill awoke to its import |
ance, and called il from its resting-place /
BY resolution, when The fight became gen !
eral in the Senate. The bill was ably ad- |
vocated by Senators Dickey, YeOman, |
King, Biggs and others, and opposed by /
Keifer, Rex, Lawrence and Dangler. Az |
ter various efforts to defeat the dill indi- |
rectly, by motions to lay on the table, in
definitely postpone, DC, the Senate at |
midnight was finally brought to vote on
the passage of the bill, which resulted in a
tie, and it was lost for want Of a cOnstitu- |
tional majority. The bill would probably |
have passed had it not been for the late
ness Of the hour and the absence of some !
Of the friends of the measure.