The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-04-27
RAILROAD LEGlSLA-
TiON.
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN. H.
OBERLI,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRkSENIA-
TIVES, APRIL 10, 1873, On III
RAfLOaD BILL, REPOKIED
BY THE HOUSE COM VIII
TEE OF THIRTEEN.


special order. Mr.. Oberly of the COM
mi,tee of thirteen, and in behalf oil
said committee, said
THE DEMAND AND TuE DiftIt Lrihs.
Nr SPEAKER During the past
three months, the general assembly has
becn endeavoring to respond to the
nopular demand fer law regulating
fares and freights on the different rail-
roads 10 the state. The people, out
ragged by the cxtortions and unjust dis
ordinations made by railroad corpora
,ions. are clamoring for redress OF their
grievances. They are invoking the
sovereign power of the state to step
forward and rescue them from the
grasp OF monopoly, which like the
monster of Frankenstein, is..devouring
its creator. They are impatient.
They cannot tolerate that haste which
moves with a sure step toward the de-
sired end. They forget that
"To climb steep hills
Requires slow pace al hrsl.
They cannot be taught that the subject
is surrounded by many and great diff
cultes. that to use the language of the
railroad commissioners OF nassachu-
sets. There are now in force on the
statute books Of various countries laws
Of every conceivable description, from
a simple act, establishing charges so
much per mile for each traveller, or ton
Of freight carried by rail, to enact
ments of the most elaborate nature,
under which roads are classified, goods
enumerated, periodical revisions pro-.
vided for, and ditfercntial, special and
,hrough.ratc tariffs, with distinctions
Of terminal charges, are all specified
in detail and that still the cry for re-
dress is loud and continuous. In what
ever direction we approach the subject
we hud obstacles 10 our path, pit
falls and snares. We do not
know what We should dove have
ouly an opinion, and opinion is more
dusky than knowledge if more lumin-
Gus than ignorance. We believe, this
moment, We are looking with unob
structed vision at the remedy desired,
aud even while We look the delusion
becomes apparent, and what We believ.
I'd TO be remedy is transformed into
formidable difficulty. We are told
by confident hope to be sure of obtain
ing tomorrow the object ofour search
but TO morrow closes and our expecta
lions are disappointed. We grasp a
what seems to US the remedy for thes,
crying evils, which have swarmed lik,
singing bees from the hive of coucen
trated wealth, but our hand closes o
the impal pable air. 1t is the air draw
dagger of Macbeth-we "see it still bl
have it not" Ia our dilemma we al
reminded, as Plato says in his RepuI
lie. "ofthe conundrums with a contr,
,iir.io" so them, that are proposed ;
table, aud Of the childrens riddle {
the euuuch who threw at the bat,
riddle which is thus given by the Scho
last
"A tale is told that a mau aud not
man, seeing and not seeing, bird an,
DOT n bird, seated on wood and not o.
wood, hit it aud did not hit ii, with
stone aud not stone
We are in truth walking in darkness
and have no lamp Of experience by tn,
light of which our footsteps NAV b.
guided. All that We know is hoy
littlc can be known
WHAT Is DEMAND.
Sir what is it we wish to do /
duty 30 apparently easy ofperformance
that the public may well be surprises
at our delay. The duty can be ex
pressed in fewer words than you az
years old 1t is "to pass laws to cor
rect abusus aud prevent unjust di:
elimination aud extortion in the rat'
OF freight and passenger tariffs on Il
different railroads in this state, aud
enforce such laws by adequate pena
ties Why cannot we do this? WI
is it difficult to correct the existir
abuses of unjust discrimination al
extorton, and prevent their recu
renee, OF punish those who are gull
OF them What is unjust discrimln
Nonf IT is the act OF making "a d
wa NShNiefy w JuoNlNN tuu TIL
aud extortion il defined to be an
legal exaction. l. it difficult to en-
law which shall declare that a
railroad corporation, guilty Of the
Of making a distinction in its char
for the transportation OF passeng,
either as between individuals or plaC
contrary to justice and right, shall
punished by such and such fines?
it difficult to pass a law declaring Il
railroad corporations guilty of lille,
exactions, shall be liable to cert
penalties? No; to prepare and en-
such bill would be, TO use the II
phrase Of Hamlet, which viii be
preeiated by my reportorial friends
the house, las easy as lying but
far would such law 20 towards
correction and prevention Of the abu
complained of? Let Us see.
RAILROAD COMPANIES As CONN
CARRIERS.
Extortlon aud unjust discrimnat
by common carrier are ofenses
der the common law, and the citi,
who suffers from either may 90 il
the courts and obtain redress
In the leading provisions Of 4
bill, IT is assumed that the method
transportation by rail has superced
all others, but the committee thou.