, 1874-06-12
ADAMS ON THE. RAILWAY QUESTION

In letter dated Quincy, Mass, Juno +, 1874,
and marked by his usual ability, Mr. Uhnrlos
francis Adams, Jr., EXPOSES his yiews on tho
NlcCrary bill, which passed. tho House Of Repro
aontattvea on tho 2Gth OF March, and which is
now In the hands Of tho Senate Committee OF
which Mr. Window Ia Chairman. Tho letter is
Addressed to Senator Window. Tho McCrnry
bill, it viii DO remembered, like tho illinois aud
Wisconsin Railway laws, is intouded to regulate
tho cost OF transportation by rail- The poiut in
common to 3lcCrary's bill aud the railway 1egis1u-
tion Of WISCONSIN and Illinois IL TINT
all throc would delegate to Board
Of Commissioners tho regulation Of rail
way tariffs. tho McCrary bill doing for tho
railroads Of the whole country what tho Wiscon-
sin and Illinois laws would do for these two
States respectively. It would create board.
composed Of nine public officials with power to
revse tho tariffs made by the railways thena-
aolves,-an appeal from their decisions to lio to
tho petit jures Of the country. Iustcad Of this
bill, Mr. Window, in sbaooh delivered on Mny
| "a, proposed tue creation of Bureau OF Com
| 1nerco, to accumulate statistics with view to
future action on the railway problom. AIr.
| .Adams who has had worry large export
! ence na a stato Railroad Commissioner,
-1arger, ho thinks, than any othor man
| in America, having boon ono OF tho
Original appointoos On tho Massachusetts Board
aud having been continued upon 1t up to this
time,--thinks tia; mother l1cCrary's bill nor
| sonator Windom's suggestion is calculated to
remody tho OWLS growing out Of our prosont
! syatom Of railroad management. Mcprary goes
too fur; Window not fur enough. AloCrarys ia
"do.evorythiug policy; Windom's a 'do.
nothing policy" air. Adams thinks the Nc
Crary proposition impossible Of application,-a
impossible, lo says, for any uino mon. no matter
what their lonoaty or experience, to Investigate
tho affairs OF all the railroads In
the country, or properly to roviat
all tho railroad tariffs in tho Unitot
States. And, even If they could DO this, l1r
Adams clama they would not yet havo reached
the root Of tho trouble. The existing difficult,
with tho railroads he considers tho natural out
growth Of our whole theory and aystom OF rail
road construction, md he maintninB 1t canno
bo eradicatod ulless VIC arc prepared to 60 tt
tho length oyon Of upsotting tho systom itaelt
Tho AlcOrary bill Heoke to Hoouro to tho public
all tho benefits Of competition without any o
its burdona-whloh ia au iuposaibility. Th
Commissioners appointed under 1t would Ans
themselves forced to bo oitlor tyranni
n rt,n ri y
neither principle nor psocedont to guido thon
!, Wero they to ao!tlo each caso On Its OWN merits
they would Gre long involve themselves In
cloud Of apparent Inconsistencies for thol
enemies to reyel In, and tue public would b
moro bafoggcd than oyor. A1r. Windom'a sug
geatiou, on tie otllor hand, is defective in tia
1t proy1dos for no Commission ut all; look
J ing as It docs only to the accumulation c
: statistics, and not pretending oven to bring th
ofloiala in contact with tho difficulties Of II,
, position.
. Such being tho character Of h1r. A1cCra1y
D bill. aud auch tho character Of Senator Windom
? proposed substitute, nlr. Adams proposes tha
instead Of groping In tho dark tho country shoul
I. walk In tho light OF Massachusetts exporiouc
t The Massachusetts Commission Ia d
' ganizod, ho says, on principle which Il
0 other State has initiated, and stoers mit
;" way betwoon tho "do-oyorything policy"
tho McCrary bill mud tho "do.nothing" polit
1t suggested In 11r. Wiudom'H spoocl. Tho funt
1t tlona Of the Massachusetts Commission a
+ simply adviaory, to the Legislature Oh tho OF
J, hand and to tho railroads on tho other. II
o Commissioners are authorized only to liate
Il Investigate. and recommend. Complaints again
u tue railroad corporations arc made to tho Cor
IT misaioncrH. They aro examined; tho partl
It Interested aro heardj and, finally tho complain
j. aro either dlamissol or bocolno tho l'ah
]" OF q Recommendation made to tue corporate
% or to tho State Government. Tho recommend
0. tion OF the Commissioners carrlos no weight O
II cort what H duo to It's roaBon, Justice, and Il
B. force Of public opinion which supports
y Thu Massachusetts 1Rlruad Uomm!aslt