Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-01-28
FROM WHEELING.
DOiDgs OC the Legislature
The Pension Bill The
Prohibition ~BiIl-GeneraI
Items.
WHEELING JAN. 18th 1852.


The legislature has moved along
quite smoothly thus far, and a great
deal OF work has been done. On Fri-
day last, an adjournment was had
until Monday, in order to give the
judiciary time to prepare work fer
the body. There has been very lit
tie discussion thus far, on any ques-
ton, and in a legislative body, the
less talk the more work. But the
comparative silence is likely to be
broken soon. A railroad bill has
been introduced, a prohibitory
amendment will soon be offered and
these, together with the bill to pro-
hibit corporal punishment in the
Schools, when they come up, will
have the effect to draw the pent-up
eloquence Of every backwoods, as
well as frontwoods orator in the leg
islature. There is no telling where
or when it will end when once fully
under way.
All are ~cOnversant with the cele-
brated fight of last session over the
Wilson railroad bill, and its subse-
quent defeat in the House. On last
Friday Speaker Wilson introduced
another railroad bill known as
House Bill 1857. Although this bill
is not near so stringent in its provi-
Sions as the u introduced by the
same gentleman last winter, yet it
will undoubtedly provoke a bitter
fight and heated discussion. The
substance of the bill is as follows:
The bill is entitled a bill to estab-
lish reasonable maximum rates of
charges, to provide for the correc-
ton of abuses, to prevent unjust
discrimination and extortion in the
rates of charges by all railroad COM
panies and corporations heretofore
or hereafter created by this or any
State, and organized within or with
out this State, and operating any
railroad or railway, wholly within,
or partly within and partly without
this State, for the transportation of
passengers and freights, to protect
the just rights of the public concern
ing the same, and to enforce the
same by adequate penalties"
1t is first made unlawful for any
company or corporation, whether
operating itself or operated or leased
by any other company, to charge for
passengers or freight more for a
shorter than for a longer distance in
the same direction. 1t shall be the
duty of every railway company to
keep constantly posted, in a conspic-
uOus place, in all its ticket offices,
and freight and passenger depots,
printed copies of the second and
third sections of this act, which are
embraced in the foregoing sentence.
together with a table of distances
between each and every station of
its road, the same to be printed in
legible type.
AL persons shall have equal rights
in shipping freight; and the same ia
cilitles for carriage, storage and
handling freight and transporting it
with reasonable dispatch to the point
required, shall be given to all; and
no company shall directly or indi-
rectly allow any rebate or drawback
to one person which is not allowed
to all alike. No company shall in
crease its charges after January, of
each year.
A station shall be established at
every town of 800 or more inhabi-
tants, where the road passes through
or within half a mile; such station
shall be established within three
months after this act goes into effect
and every thirty days delay, or fail
ure thereafter, shall be a separate Of
Tense.
The remainder of the bill is devot-
ed to penalties. For any offence
against the provisions of this act the
offender shall be deemed guilty Of a
misdemeanor and for the first offense
upon conviction shall be fined not
less than $4,000 nor more than $10,-
600; for the second, not less than
10000 nor more than SIS, 200; for the
third not less than $15,000,n NOR more
than $40 600: and for every offense
thereafter, $25, 900, each fine to be at
the discretion of the jury. But if
any company shall wilfully violate
any section of this ordinance, it
shall be taken as an abuse and for
fixture of its charter, and may be
proceeded against a to judgment of
custer and final execution.
The Circuit Court of each county
through which a road passes, shall
have jurisdiction and shall especially
give this act in charge Of the grand
jury. The Judge, ii he deem it neces.
sary, shall employ special counsel to