The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1881-07-23

ference TO the extortion and unjust dis
elimination Of railroads." which
amendment was lost. After its pas
sage, Senators Cowan, Gibbs, Vance
and Wilcox, had their objections to its
passage spread upon the Journal,
which were in brief: 1. The uncon-
stitutiouality of the bill. 2. The evils
it proposed to remedy will be aggra-
waited rather than mitigated 3. The
practical remedy suggested was to
build more railroads and encourage
competition, and the proposed law
would discourage the investment of
capital in the other railroads. 4. Be
cause such law would be imperative
upon through freights. Here the Gov
ernor is again endorsed in this exper-
mental legislation, by four able SEN
ators, who are supposted to reflect the
views of their constituents.
Again, the bill was referred TO a
committee of eight in the House of
Representatives, the majority, five in
number, reported that sit do not pass"
and had their objections spread on the
Journals, and three who favored its
passage had their minority report
spread on the Journals. and the Gov
ernor's position in this instance is sup
ported by five-eights of the House
Committee. 1t finally passed the
House by vote of forty-iive, and
thirty against its passage, and forty-
five members were absent-this being
on the last day of the session.
If this bill was of such vital im-
portance and an absolute necessity, ms
some parties intimate, why was it not
passed at an early day of thesession,
and made 10 become a law independ-
ent of the veto power. But we see
respectable minority opposing it in
both Houses, whose opinions ARE cer-'
tain'y of some value, and II Is a very
significant fact that all the committees
to whom the bill was.referrcd, report
ed adversely 10 its passage, which
places all the opponents of the
bill in the same attitude of the Cover
nor, which will enable them TO take
upon themselves reasonable share of
the railcry and ccnsure that is thrust
at him, provided they consider il
worthy of their attention.
IL seems that the memorial of Hon.
j. b. Scabrook, offered In the House
on this subject, met with II hearty APP
proval. The memorial was to the cf-
feet, '"rhat'we, the Representatives of
the people of the State of Mississippi,
do solemly memorialize the Congress
of the United States to provide by ap-
propriate legislation, some adequate
means Of restraining unjust discrim-
hation, w the passage of general
law regulating the tariff and freight
rates on all railroads and navigable
streams In the United States" Asthe
same was adopted by vote Of sixty
two TO thirteen, which regard as IA
tacit admission that they entertained
serious doubts of their ability to enact
laws that could be enforced against
corporations existing outside the linn
its of our State, and the transportation
of frcights into, through, or'out of this
State, and that they preferred Con-
gressional action on the subject.
Where there was 80 much opposi-
tion TO the passage of the bill In the
Legislature, and the fact that many of
our distinguished lawyers differ in tho
opinions upon the subject proposed to
be legislatcd upon, n reasonable con-
cusion would be, that II Is n species of
experimental legislation that is not of
sufficient moment TO sever the ties
that bind the Democratic party to-
gether. give this brief history of the |
passage of this bill and the opposition
10 IL, for the benefit of those who are
not in possession Of the Journals.