Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-05-29


n each will prof: to itself. Legitimate wealt
:. and not poverty should be the result OF the:
y sectional vet national industries, and to tn
great end the two sections should be brougt
as near together commercially as possible
, The rranaries of the West and the market
of the East must be made accessible each
the other.
f Mr.. Speaker. this country is yet in il
Q youth has hardly attained its manhood
= and n0ic in my Judgment is the time an
the occasion to provide for its proper dc
velopment and full age. Then in its we
! day it will take no harm. panlcs Will be un
known. and the cry for more currency neve
uttered.
Sir. I fear the people. especially those
E New England and the Atlantic States, nav
not yet stopped to consider tins great qnes
, ton. They do not seem to realize It's lmpor
, lance or the magnitude of the dement's whie'
must result from its favorable solution.
The West has for many years been talk
ing, working and holding conventions in thu
interest OF cheap transportation, while thu
Eas; has been comparatively unmoyed.l say
the West i awake, and so she Is; and We
thus far this session all she has offered or
this floor is the so-called McCrary bill. Tc
me this i but an apology. Its relief Is toe
weak, too doubtful. and too short-lived
tho if here | should probably have voted for
the bill. because if. a. its friends believe. II
is To be a benefit to the producers of the
West il must be of value to the people OF
the East If it Will reduce freight charges
from the West TO the Atlantic, 1t must do
the same from Vermont to her markets But
that it Is to answer the demands OF the coun-
try do not believe That it Is to be the
great panacea for all the troubles and com
plants of the farmers of the West II seems
to me cannot he true, and for these reasons:
First The board of commissioners created
by the bill must be a political board, and
you at once bring the railroads and produ-
GERS into war with each other on the ques-
ton of who shall control the appointing
power.
Second. If the railroads are not allowed
/ by the board of commissioners what they
/ believe to be reasonable rates, urare allowed
more than the shippers think reasonable,
| appeals will be taken to the courts, and We
/ have the whole matter tied up in litigation
by suits at law, bills in equity, and lnJunc-
| tons for years. This will occur first in one
State and then in another, and before the
questions can be settled and the law brought
into full power it will have lost its force
and Will fail in its purpose.
Third. The natural tendency will be, a
| have said, TO bring on a war a. 10 which
party shall control the appointing power,
and the contest will not stop there, but will
70 back into the elections of Legislatures,
judges, and other officers of the law, and
while this i going on the law will furnish
no relief. And such strifes | fully believe
would be injurious to the best interests of
the railroads, and to the producers as well,
and put off too long the day of permanent
cheap transportation.
Again, suppose the McCrary bill, if it
should become law. did furnish all the
relief its friends have promised, still it will
come far short of the requirements of this !
growing country. And Why 1t i admit |
ted that the railroads are transporting the |
productions of the West and the merchan- |
disc of the East between the great distribu
ting points, Chicago and Saint Louis and |
the Atlantic, at nearly a. low rates a they
can afford to; and yet it cost to ship a
bushel of wheat from Chicago to Boston by
rail in 1873 about forty cents and at this
price there is but little profit to the produ-
Ger, and this of course Is the cause of his
Now, sir, the MeCrary bill will not rem
edy this, because no commission would com
pei the railroads to carry freight at less
than cost or without a profit. If they did
/
this you ruin .he producer In my .iudg-
ment neither can exist without the other
Abuses should be corrected. monOpolies
broken up, combinations and unjust dis
prevented, and differences adj
uSted and to this end the McCrary bill
nay have some utility if it can be justly ex-
'cuted. But the question is,will it cheaper
where most needed, between
competing cities in the West and the At
antic? | think not.
But il may be said the bill will regulate
abroad freights between Chicago and points
v est and South, and between Saint Louis
nd points West, and between local points
n different States that do not have the
,eneft of healthy competition and this |
hink should be the extent of the claim of
IS friends.
But, sir, the producers of the West cannot
ford to wait until their war growing out
f this bill. if it should become a law. is
nded. They should seek another remedy
With all consistent speed. And what is that
emedy? | answer, one or more great
Tater-routes from the Mississippi to the
atlantic.
On the 10th of December, 1872, the Senate
f the United States adopted the following
reamble and resolutions:
Whereas, the productions of our country have in
eased much more rapidly than the means of trans.
Drtation, and the growth OF population and prod
its will in the near future demand additional IA
lities and cheaper ones TO reach tde-water; and G.
hereas IN his recent message the President Of the
nited States invites the attention of Congress to =
e fact that t will he called upon at its present IL
ssion to consider various enterprises for the
rtain and cheaper transportation Of the constant
increasing Western ana southern products to the L.
llantic sea-board" and further says the subject IL
one that Will force itself upon the Legislative p
aneh OF the government sooner or later. and | e'
ggest therefore that immediate steps be taken Ii;
lin all available information to insure equitable II
"a just Legislation; | would therefore
ggest either committee a commission to he h
thoFzed 10 consider this whole question. and to b,
port TO Congress at future day for its better \
dance in legslating cn this important subject" "
erefore. IN
Resolued That committee Of seven be appointed, dt
whom shall be referred that part of the Presi- 90
nts message relating 10 transportation routes -
the seaboard. Ut
And ON the 26th day of March. 1872, the sh
lowing resolution was passed by the SEN ns
C: NJ
Pesoiued. That the Select Committee on Trans -
rtaton Routes to the sea-hOard he authorized to n
at such places as they may des gnate during the al
;ess, ana 10 investigate and report upon the sub n
Of sportation between the interior and the ~
aboard that they have power to employ a stem 0v
rapher and TO send for persons and papers; and In
It the necessary expenses attending such inves- vi
alton he paid out Of the contingent fund Of the :,
nate upon vouchers approved by the chairman Of "a
d committee. 81
This committee was appointed and Sem 80
Or Windom,of Minnesota made chairman. In
e other members of the committee are We
majors Sherman, of Ohio Conkling, of err
W York West, of Louisiana Conoyer.
Florida Mitchell, of Oregon Norwood, wl
Georgia Davis, of West Virginia, and bn
hnston, of Virginia. Do
This committee occupied quite portion sal
last Summer and Fall travelling through col
, country examining the different routes, Sts
d in taking testimony upon the subject Sc:
" had in charge. That committee re- wo
rted to the Senate but few days since. or
cir report rs printed and contains over gi,
ven hundred pages, including the evil Wi
nee upon which it is based. | have ex- grs
7ed it with much care end interest, and Oh
> his opportunity to say that it is a val in
lie d, ~Gment, prepared with great study,
evide rtiy with great caution that it Flo
Md he r, Iiabie. 1t should be in the hands VII
yery frien OF cheap transportation. To S So,
am indebte, for very much of the sta Ry,
cal informal, IN | shall before close Bar
70 to the attentio u of this House. most Bea
testify bespeak for he report that con- Nh
ration which the ma ynitude and impor- Ere
,e of the subject of w. ieh it treats de- Bee Bee
ID. PP or
his report brings to Us propo Stion TOT Lar
construction of four water cL snnels asll
q the grain-growing fields of the ives arn S.aa
Id to the Atlantic and to the markets che
consumers Of the East. They are des- But
tied IS the Mississippi route" the ORE
rthern route, the central route" pnd ~. a.,
"southern route" She;
ow. while concede the importance Of Hor