Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-04-26
RAILROAD SUPERVISION.
THE REMEDY FOR PATENT EVILS.
Speech OF Hon. L. ID. WOOdWOrth, OF
MahOning, In the Senate Of Ohio.


SDeech OF Hon. L. ID. WOOdWOrth, o
MahOning, In the Senate OF Ohio.
The question being upon the pas
sage Of substitute for Senate bill, No
69, to enlarge the powers and dutiei
Of the Office Of Commissioner Of Rail
roads and Telegraphs, Mr.. Wood
worth said:
THE BILL DEFINED.
Mr.. PRESIDENT This bill EN-,
bodies only one Of the several features
embraced in original Senate bill No
50, introduced by myself at the las
session. Senators will Feeollect thai
the original bill, in order that one fea.
tuEe might not embrace the other
was, after its commitment, divided by
the committee on railroads and turn
pixies into as many distinct bills As
there we're separate objects sought e
be gained by its various provisions
The feature of the original bill pre-
served in the substitute now under
consideration is that which provides
for an extension of the powers and
duties Of the Office Of G ImmissiOner OF
Railroads and Telegraphs. So nu-
merous were the changes from the
original made by the committee in
preparing this substitute that IL now
stands as almost purely their work.
1t is the result of much labor upon
the part Of the committee, and as
such l ask for it the same careful and
earnest consideration which this SEN
ate has always accorded to subjects OF
importance; and, while asking this.
the committee invite the criticism OF
this body upon their work, that II
NAV be made as perfect as possible
This bfii PROPOSES to enlarge the pow
ers and extend the duties of the Office
Of Railrosd Com missioner for the
better protection Of the lives and the
property of the people, and for the
more certain enforcement of their
rights against those overshadowing
corporations that control the railroads
Of our State, and against aggressiOns
which the individual citizen is pow
erless to redress. 1t Is q proposition
sir, not only in the interest Of the peo-
pie, who are continually petitioning
for protection against railroad aggres-
sion, and whose representatives and
Legislators we are, but it's also q propo-
sition, believe, in the Interest Of the
railroad corporations themselves, for
no fact is more evident to the observ-
er than that no enterprise Of public
or quasi public nature like railroads
can prosper IL at war with public in
terest, or il conducted in a manner in
= Il -
Vidual citizen.
To harmonic whatever conflicts
there may be between the right Of the
people and the interests Of railroads
must, while It insures justice to the
one, secure prosperity for the other;
for upon harmonious cooperation and
reciprocity of interest between the
several departments of industry or
enterprise is all legitimate success de-
pendent. To promote this harmony
should be the steadfast object of the
legislator when acting upon bills affect
Ing industry, for TO him is committed
not only the task Of securing TO the
citizen his private rights, but also the
duty of promoting, as far as possible,
the present and prospective advance
ment of the material interests Of the
commonwealth, the greatest auxiliary
TO which il that grand aehievement
Of modern thought. the steam power
Of loeomotion The great end he
should seek to accomplish Is the prop
.eE encouragement Of railroad enter
prise and the perfect protection Of
private rights, the last being the high
est and most sacred of his duties. The
funa ~ fraha -
be directed isthat the tendency ofrail-
road corporations is to trench upon,
70 swallow up, to overshadOw and
Overawe private rights, to establish a
supremacy over the law itself.
THE POWER OF RAILROADS AND OF
THE STATE.
Inspeaking Of this tendency and Of
the present power Of railroads, the
Bureau, a very able and intelligent
journal, published at Chicago, in a
resent issue, copy Of which 1 have
before me, says:
1.-THE law which reaches the pecu-
liarities Of individuals Is too weak to
grasp and arrest the great OffeI 1ers.
They are Ike the old Norman barons,
in England and France, that made
kings or dehed them, as suited their
purpose, but were not subject to them.
They might be the creators or the enc
mics of the party in power, but they
could not be its obedient subjects or
law abiding citizens. The slave lords
Of the South lately occupied Shis atti-
tude toward the States which they
and for time toward the
government.
HThe railway in many States have
succeeded to their power, and are fast
rising 70 the height of their preten-
sions. They own and rule, to-day, the
States of New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Ohio. Michigan, ILL.,
nois, Wisconsin. Iowa, Missouri, Kan
sas aud California, and have the chief
Influence in Connecticut, Massaehu-
sets, and, indeed, in nearly all other
States.
almost Invariably the modes Of
obtaining legislation are corrupt
They sometimes argue their points,
but they almost never fail to buy them.
These managers believe in the ON
Impotence of money and the morality
Of success"
Now, Mr.. President, while am not
ready to admit that Ohio is yet owned
by railroad corporations, still, there
can be no doubt that this statement as
10 their power is in the main correct,
30 far as several of the States named
are concerned. There can be no doubt
In the minds of the thoughtful and
that unless Ohio snail soon,
in some effective manner, assert her
right of control over railroad corpora
tions, they will soon assert their pow
er of control over Ohio. We must
either control them or they will con-
troll US, as much as they now do New
York, and Pennsylvania, and the
rights Of our people will be surrender
ed into the tender keeping of the rail-
road barons of Wall Street, and we
shall be Obliged to submit to whatever
burdens they may see 1T to impose
The only means of averting this evil
and of remedying those actually upon
Us, is proper, well considered and well
legislation.
That these corporations, themselves
Ihe creatures of law, are subject to /
control in all matters not |
operated upon by the doctrine of vest |
ed rights, no good lawyer or sensible
man will, for single moment, dis
pute. Although tYenty-six Of the
railroads now opened in I
Ohio are operated under special char
ters, granted under the old COnstitu-
tiOn, not one Of those charters has
or can confer, independ- |
sBce of the law as to the manner in /
which the privileges granted shall be
used. The most skillful theOrist upon /
the doctrine Of the vested rights may