New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-29
COMMERCIAL CONVENTION
REPoRTs ON RAILROAD MONoPOLIES AND MAR
ROW-GAUGE ROADS.

BALTIMORE, Sept. 26.-In the National Com
ercial Convention, this morning lir. Howard OF Mis-
our S9srOd resolution calling the attention Of Con-
sas 70 tie Increasing power Of the great rErOAd cor
porations Of the country their absorption Of al other
Aes Of ROAD ts necessity q restricting their powers
and the establishment Of national tariff Of farce and
IslEss which was referred 70 the Committee ON Rail-
rOadA
Ex4oOv stannard Of Missouri submitted the report Of
SAe Committee on Railroads. embodied in the following
resolutions:
Resoleed That this Convention recommend to railroad
transportation companies reduce local rates OF
freight and passage aa TO gave them nearer prOpOrOn
RssOlScd That liberal commercial spirit should pre-
lights Of way across their territory 70 IN railroads and
that an airline railroad from Cincinnati to Chattancoge
81 The SOUTH this Convention dsCiaming any purpose
indicate the authority under which said airline rS
RssSISsd, That this Convention is fully persuaded OF
TIE feasibility aud deSirabillty OF rarosd cnsn GA
tirey 70 the south Of the Central Pacific and WIZ most
a S If SGR S aSon s Rcsd
M stannard also submitted the report Of the sub
Committee on the subject Of narrOwgauge railroads. as
fellows:
The eSs Of railroads has but recently been Brought 20
the notice railroad and Of the people at large In
this country fur line OF road OF three feet OF
le has been fully constructed fron when We are
to their actual or comparative value In thls Is IN
an sW rS%s SsS sT e
enterprises to be put on fS0s W1Sh boW s en-
SnowS are from the repprts supposed and believed
to be trustworthy, Of narrOwgauge roads In Wales
ntoe in Stating that the diminished cost Of cOnsruO
don Of three feet roads may be estimated at nom
The increased facilities Of overcoming heavy grades
eGer great Inducements for their construction . o. T,
Paso; from eavenworth to Denver, on the Pacihc
RSroad and one nom st. LSnS 70 Usr CesGe Co%
mttee therefore recommend the appointment OF
special Committee Of I'VE to report to the next ConVen
GIon.
The report and resolutions excited considerable debate
but were finally adopted.
The order business suspended TO allow resolu-
tOn to be offered by Judge Hammond Of Georgia on the
subject Of education to the effect that the States and
localities in this Government which have not already
adopted system Of public schools be earnestly recon-
sRded by this Convention to do 90 at once s sne 1est
s masses of the people and the only method by which
the whole be educated at an expense not e
ceeding the amount heretofore expended eaucaOn OF
few. The resolution was adopted. ..,
Mr. Kennard Of Louisiana, from the Committee on In
port which states that owing to the number and variety
Of the subjects referred to the Committee and TO avod
subjects to he sStsd upon in the order Of
stFSctons ut the mouth Of the Mississippi River. On
this subject the report careful review OF the
the Ssf the Of the MPp River
satisfies the Committee that dredging is at the best
SopinectinT the Mississippi River with the ocean
"a national commercial necessity. That
point on the III bank Of the Mississippi near Fort st.
Philip, and en&r the Gull Of Mexico sSO9t four miles
ahoud be constructed and maintained ct the national
eCs free Of tolls CONCLUDING MS Gp Ss n Con s0r
the work, aud providing for q special committee 70
on the subjects Of the James River and Kanawha
1Rnal and Improvement of the navigation OF the Ohio
fSncInnA conventonS and renews the appeal for aid
9rom Congress the Ship Canal between the chesapeake
and 0f P tss worS yScS viii be only 81 miles in
length and rendering the voyage between BALTIMORE and
me%oriazed to direct survey q the proposed
Improvement aud, found practicable, that the canal
The Hon Reverdy Johnson in his speech the sub
tect Of ship canal between the DesWSe ana mesa S
Tork TO baltimore the West, and the Southwest and
incidentally his dinners and speeches when Minister
aTo CONS back TO the particular topic before you it
Cove1ticn may possibly entertain the idea that
perha ps Congress Is aked to do by this resolution
H has power to perform The resolution In fact,
only asks Congress 10 exercise power which 1t has uni
fOrnly exercseda power 70 order surveys 70 De mSGe
be constructed and how will conduce to the public In
terests or the eonsutonay OF OF poTSee
other which s looked upon o as PaS OF TnS5
out TO show the practicabiity Ofthe scheme, have
word or two 70 say over the subject Of internal improve
fpom the beSn3inS o9the government up to compare
lively recent period OF the best minds Of the Soa
W sSa Naton ns sat6oT1ed tie sptSSy
Of an act Of Congress required for s actual construction
When ConSsss proposed to Impose tolls and erect toll
gates for the purpose Of their collection, IL was thought
mount power on the part Of Congress and that it
could only be done with the assent OF the States
to know intimatev Eld il f9ard IN private re Sson9
pus % %be se was Secretary Of War carried the
doctrine far are cOncerhed
s ss&G ~ as Ae E RS Hamilton The report which
made upon that subject while ae 9eld the situation Of
have reason to know t Gs Esgst heard y that
t fSae Ons originally drawn, contained some eight
or ten still more than those to I've
sitter IT, am far from meaning to intimate anything de-
rogatory TO hiu for would say nothing to i1ure his
Vital dierences that existed between him and others
then had and now have the greatest pC etbe.
however during the last fifteen twenty years Of his
% s lSGG 2 could a"
Ali times adhere to. You will remember gentlemen,
Una. ai'nTu oIR L" Of internal improvement as
power general IN s npp2siHn Tbich met AZ
Memphis of which he was the Chairman, he made
speech that little surprised me- because thought ne
laid down three four propositions only one OF
which aes TO dns S0rsHer true il nav be-
Was In his opinion, that Congress had no autn3ry
construct ratrCsd or to improve s syes 'nS r t5e
river was only within the limits Of State yet II 1t
had its source in one State and had its in another
state so that there then the Constitution came
into operatiOn and the river could be deepenod and
eSerTthjng else could be done / did exactly
tat ha changed the Constitution lsughterI but had
Ouch confidence his Judgment and had sat 30 OFTEN
~ his knee-Where 1t was my pleasure to Sit and
where l had derived great instructl0n-that
fell into the habit OF adopting many OF his opinions
1t was my pleasure to live with him for two sessions OF
Congress did not how the construction OF the Con-
stituton with reference to the Improvements OF river
depended upon the whether was within the limits
of State or two, provided X was naviga9le
discnised it with over and over aeAin, and
although I was not satisfied yet could
not tell him why was not sAftshed. [LAnghter was