The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-02-22

AoSSs
Forever hallowed be the day that gave
GEORGE WASHINGTON to the Human
Racel -
Stock Transportation.
A bill relating to the transportation Of
stock passed the U. s. Senate last week.
which contains matter of great interest
to the West. The bill provides:
ssThat no corporation transporting animals
FROM ONE STATE TO ANOTHER shall condne
the same in vehicles, railroad cars, boats or
vessels OF any description for longer period
than twenty-four consecutive hours, without
unloading the same for rest, water and feed
ing, for period of at least seven consecutive
hours, unless prevented from SO unloading by
storm or other accidental causes; that animals
during the rest by the owner or person having
the custody thereof, or in case Of his default
in SO doing, then by the company off,
sials, at the expense, pn,, OF the the owner owner
and the company having a lien upon the'ani-'
mails for food, care and custody; that the PEN
Slty for falling to comply with the provisions
pf this law shall be q fine OF not less than Sl00
and not more than $500, or by imprisonment
Tor not more than one year, or both. But
when animals shall be carried in vehicles
where they have proper food, water, space
and rest, the provisions IN relatlon 10 unloau-
ang shah not apply"
persons interested in shipping will, Of
course, be interested in the provisions
of this bill as bearing directly upon
their business interests. And this is Of
itself quite sufficient to warrant public
attention to the passage Of the bill into
:. law, as affecting an important busi-
aess interest OF the West.
There is, morever, another, and per-
haps even more important, feature OF.
his bill that deserves attention. 1t will
be observed that the terms of the bill
limits its operation to cases of trans
porting animals "from one State to an,
other" 1t does not propose to interfere,
in any manner with such transportation
within the several States, leaving that
matter entirely to the control Of the
State laws.
But, in so doing, this bill assumes and
acts upon the right and power in Con-
gress "to regulate commerce between
The several States," as directed In the
CONSTITUTION, though that commerce be
not upon the natural channels of water
communication, but by railroads as well
as by vessels. This has long been a de-
bated point. 1t has been claimed that,
rs the railroad companies are all corpo.
rations created by State laws, they are
therefore amenable only to the Stats
laws; and that, consequently. Congress-
can not legislate for regulating tht
operations Of such roads.
1t is apparent that, il the power o
Congress under the Constitution is sucl
as to warrant them in the passage of al
enactment regulating the operations o
railroads running sslrom one State II
another,o then these lines Of Interstate
communication fall within the jurisdic
tion OF Congress under that clause o
the Constitution above referred to; ant
their operations may be regulated ii
other matters as well as in the matte
of the transportation Of animals. Un
der this authority, then, there would b'
warrant for legislation by Congress t.
prevent the iniquitous combinations To-
transporting freight of all kinds, from
which the public has suffered so mucl
and so long. '~'s
We shall be glad to know that Cor
gress has adopted and acted upon thi
construction Of the Constitution. l
will serve as ground Of hope that a
to Interstate commerce carried on b
railroads running in continuous line
through several States, there will b
some proper enactments protecting tn
public against those mischieyous CON
Ibipations that have from time to tim
proved so ruinous to the interests of tn
great producing classes Of the West.
GRANT MAD:-It is stated that th
President manifested consid rable al
ger on his cross-examination In hi
deposition taken ip the Babcock cas-
I'VE have read that deposition, and ca
mot discover exactly where the "mad
comes in. The cross-examination wa
pointed, but no where disrespectful.
the President expects that he is to b