The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-09-22
The Senate Committee on Transportation.

The Senate Committee on Transportation.
The rowing junketing committee which
is making the tour OF the continent in
search of festivities and information, had
a iiattering ovation paid them at Montreal,
and nobody can blame them for eating
good dinner at the expense of their enter
taiuers. But we doubt whether the Sen
ate, in sending them on this excursion,
adopted a very wise method Of collecting
facts What il ought TO have done, or
rather what Congress ought 20 have done,
ii valuable information is desired, was 10
have authorized the appointment of some
eminent and large minded civil engineer to
render n service similar to that performed
by Mr.. Wells in the early days of the in
terual revenue A civil engineer belong
ing 10 the highest rank of his profession.
would have started out with a great deal
more knowledge Of the subject than this
iunketing committee will bring back. He
would have prosecuted his inquiries with
out any buncomb or ostentation, would
have known exactly what to make the pith
OF his investigation, and have understood
the bearing and application of his facts
when he gathered them. A liberal COM
peusation to him would have been trihe
compared with the travelling expenses and
hotel bills OF the festive committee.
But proceeding so genuine and bust
ness.like would not have answered the pur-
poses OF this sham investigation A com.
missioner, doing his work quietly and eff
tectively would not have kept himself
prominently in the public eye aud have all
his steps reported in the newspapers. The
Senate Committee, with its fuss and pa
rade, is an electioueering show. 1t begius
its work, or rather its play, on the opening
of the fall canvass for the State elections,
and feeds the people who are interested in
cheap transportation with false hopes
Republican stump speakers, like Morton,
point 10 It as proof that the Government
is taking hold of this great problem with
a purpose to solve it. The object is to de
Jude and quiet the farmers and prevent
their movement from SCATTERING the Re
publican party.
Of course Congress will do nothing on
the subject beyond wholesale manutac-
ture Of buncombe Morton, in one of his
recent speeches, uttered some pompous
words about this committee, and made a
vague allusiOn to the power Of Congress to
regulate commerce among the States But
build railroads than the power to regulate
commerce with foreign nations includes
the power 20 build ships IL is ridiculous
10 construe the power 10 regulate com.
merce as power 10 furnish means Of
transportation. But it is pretended that
Congress, under this authority, may inter
pose 10 regulate the charges Of the rail
roads This claim is, if possible, more
preposterous than the other. Does the
power 10 regulate foreign commerce in
cude the right to fix the price of ocean
freights2 Nobody has ever c0ntended for
anything so idiotic and absurd but that
would be precisely on a par with a claim
by Congress 10 mtermeddle with the price
OF transportation on railways. The power
10 regulate commerce among the States is
not broader, but narrower than the power
20 regulate commerce with foreign nations.
Both are indeed conferred in the same Ian
guage, but the authority over domestic
commerce is restricted by subsequent pro.
visions. Congress may require vessels en-.
gagged in foreign commerce to enter, clear
aud pay duties in our ports; but it is pro
hibited from interfering IN this way with
vessels engaged in domestic commerce
IL has been maintained by very high au
thorities that the only power Congress has
~ regulate commerce between the States il
by preventing the States from interfering
with its perfect freedom Certain il is that
the Government hag never erercised any
other power of the kind, aud it would moi
be difficult 10 show that IL possesses none
by the adoption OF the Constitution the
power 10 regulate commerce was trans
ferred FROM the individual States TO the
Federal Government, which acquired n,
greater power over the subject than wa,
previously possessed by the States. Tha
power was not extended, but abridged il
the transfer abridged by forbidding dutie.
ON exports, by requiring duties to be uni
form in the ports Of all the States, and b,
prohibiting any duties or charges on inter
State commerce Commerce was pre-
viously regulated by the States. and ha
since been regulated by the Federal Gov
eminent, only by levying or removing du
ties. Between the States none can be le
We'd by Congress, nor removed unless tn
States should impose them in violation Q
the Constitution.
What practical use can Congress max
Of the information il may collect respect
ing Interstate commerce. If it legi.
lates on the subject at all il must be b
the passage Of some act either an &C
regulating the charges for freight ON eS
listing railroads, or an act appr0priatin
money 10 construct new railroads at tn
expense OF the Government. 1t can d
neither without plain violation OF III
Constitution
Even If such legislation were constitt
tional, there could DO no greater publ
mischief than for Congress 10 embark