The weekly Louisianian., 1874-03-14

@00AAoNAVSAUAOAS oOJos ~A-
is traffic, but it issomethine
more; it is intercourse. It, describes
the commercial intercourse between
= nations and parts of nations, in all it.
+ branches; and is regulated by pro
rules for carrying on thai
S2intercourse." AndMr. Justice Strong
delivering the opinion of the Supreme
$ court OF the United States in the case
s of The State Freight Tax, 10Th Wall
Ezs223322, says: "The rule has been asserted
s $! with great ~clearness, that, whenever:
j the subjects ovcr which power to regu
late commerce is asserted are, in thei1
national, or, admit of one uni;
form system Or plan of regulation
sSSthey may justly be said to be ofsuch a
s nature as to*ree'1ire exclusive legisla
sSsion 81 Congress-" And, in the same
EkScase, he says in conclusion: ''Surely:
transportation of passengers or mer
a4chandise through a State, or from one
is to another, is of this nature. Il
His Of national importance that ovei
: that subject there should be but ono
regulating power" "This being the
= final declaration of the court of last
q resort" says Judge Redfeld, 1--WE need
OCCUPY no more time in showing that
aathe entire question of the regulation
!{and control of railway-fares and
freight upon lines of railways extend.
sing across the line of two or more
Estates,
4 BELONGS EXCLUSIVELY To CONGRESS.
This very question was directly in
Evolved, and squarely decided" Ithas
2galso been decided that Congressional
Regulation and control attach to inter
Estate traffic, not only where it has
3actually been carried across the divid-
Sing line Of two States. but from the
atimc it is taken in charge by tlleearri-
Ter as traffic, whether in goods Or per-
sons, and which is destined to cross
sStatc-lines in its transit. See 10th
aVall, 557, United States Reports.
] How narrow, then, is the limit Of
Estate legislation! N;ne-tentEs, and
5more, Of the freight loaded upon cars;
Hin Iowa is destined to cross the bound
larry of the State and be carried across
sothcr States. As to this traffic, in the
Hight o. the decisions above referred to,
our State Legislators might as we'll
occupy their balloting fer Speaker,
shooting off fire-crackers, OF hob-nob-
abing with Victoria Woodruff, rs tol
sspend their time in legislating upon
lmatters that are within the exclusive
control Of Congress. We may compel!
slong lines OF railway to run the gaunt-''
Elet Of State legislation, but with little:
3honor to them, and little good to us.
dCongrcss has
/ FULL CONTROL OF Il SUBJECT
}and its legislation can reach every mile
3of the Pennsylvania Railroad and
branches, in New Jersey, Pennsylva-|
mia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana
Illinois, and Iowa; of the Baltimore&l
Ohio, and all other railways extending
through several States.
National legislation has always BEEN
more stable than that of States. The
Judiciary act, fol- example, is nearly as
old as the Government. Many of our
Congressman have graduated from
State Legislatures, and have there, sol
ito speak, 'tsown their. wild OATS y
They have, or ought to have, there
learned that hasty and imperfcctlegis-
|ation is worse than none at all. There
lis greater experience, more dclibera-
ton, in Congress. Consress-possess-
ling, as it does, full power in the premi-
Iscs-should legislate upon the subject
80 far at least, as experience points!
the way. It cannot be expected that:
35a perfect system can at nee be adopt-l
led. It must grow, and be perfected,
Ky our experience. Congress might
provide for a Bureau of Transporta-
Ition, to be attached to the war Depart
mentS, to be under the charge of one of
our ablest engineers; and it might
provide for y maximum rate per milcs
for through freight and passengers!
LIT. might make some salutary rules for[
The safety OF passengers, and it might
some means of wringing the
water out Of Interstate railway stocks :
j jurisdiction should be given to thel
Of the United States to enforce
the regulations made.
These are only suggestions.
where there is a will there is a way I
would at first, perhaps
have to be tentative; but time and ext
|pericnce would point the way to im-(
till we should have