The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-03-01
30 anNsaAL RAILRoAD B1LL.
What Mississippi Has Done for Rail-
roads.

WHAT Mississippi Has Done for Rail-
roads.
Substance Of TIE Resarks Of Hon. r. G. Smith,
o Madis0a, IN The Senate Or tLe l6th inst
upon The BIZ % Supervise Ralroad Corre
rations n the Interest and for the PyOtee-
fioa of Che Public:
Nh. PREsIDEST-It IS asserted By Sena-
tors upon this floor, that those who favor
the supervision Of railroads by legislation,
are influenced more by q popular clamor
/ than from any DETERMINATIONS in ffeights
on the part OF railroads. Let Us see if this
assertion IS sustained by the facts in the
case. II Is well known that the Chicago,
st. Louis & New Orleans Road viii haul
bale of cotton fro n Grand Junction, Ten
nesSee, TO New 0rieaus for about one-haif OF
what a merchant OF Jackson, Mississippi,
can get the same road to haul bale Of cot
| ton fran jackson, Mississippi, to New
Orleans. And what Is true in the ease OF
/ Jackson, Mississippi, is true Ut every station
on sal. road from jackson, Tennessee, To
/ the Southern boundary u Mississippi. L
ask, then, Is the demand t5r supervisory leg
/ islation, warranted only by popular eamor.
] or it IS caused by an unjust and unfair dis
/ OF railroads, against the people living along
/ the lines OF these roads Let the rates
charged in the cases above answer. Candor
I compels the unbiased mind to state,
/ that there are just grounds for this kind OF
/ egisiation under consideration and that the
demand OF the people Tor supervisory laws
/ Is not confined 10 newspapers, nor Is
/ this demand worked up by what Is said 10 be
/ popular clamor The same unjust dscrim-
Iaations In ireigAts are practlced by the
same road on all northern hound ffeights
| from New Orleans for points any where IN
! this State For instance, you will be charged
almost half as much for Tcdr load of freight
/ from New Orleans TO jackson as you viii
be charged for car load from New Orleans
to st. Louis, while the distance between
the two points is much greater than the diff
ference between the Charges. But We ATE
told that railroads are compelled 10 diserim-
mate in their charges for carrying Jreights
in order to keep up and pay even current
expenses. | Cannot see the force of this /
reason. Railroads do not discriminate IN
passenger rates and tolls. Why, then, in /
ifetgnts? If the companies can make
money by hauling passengers at a uniform I
rate lviz., three cents per mile) | ask, in +
all candor, why cannot they make money /
by hauling ytretghts at uniform rate, sat
MUCH per mlie, whether the distance he i
long or short. From these few iliustra-
ti0ns, of the very many OF a similar nature,
We see that there is real and actual neees-
sIty for this Legislature to come 10 the re-
let Of the people
do not mean to say that railroads should
not be permitted to make reasonable profits
ON their investments. Such is not my
argument. But do mean to say chat they
should not be permitted to extort upon the
people living along the lines where there is
no competition. And when they attempt
il they should be regulated.
Again, Mr.. President, we are told by some
Senators here, that We ate driving away
railroad capital now seeking investment III
our State, by hostile and unlriendly legisla-
ton.
d. Senators mean to say that by advoz
eating this bill, we are driving railroad cap
ital from this State To such / would say
that there are now, | believe, about halt
the States of the Union that have railroad
commission, and We have not heard II any
capital being driven away Oh account ol
the commission On the contrary, in these
States where supervisory laws are III force,
the RAILROADS and the people have been
brouebt tGgeIheY--whieh is promotive OF
railTQad pterestS--hepce it is ihat IN each
of these States where such Liquidation exists,
we find railroads being built in great num-
bers. And we fad that in these States
where railroads are operated Hnder super
vispry legislation, they are all hourishing,
and the people are protected from unjust
Determinations.
In what does our hostility to railroads
consist Wherein have we exhibited an
nnfrendly spirit towards railroad enter
+ Z,
ed every railroad chHrter presented with
the most liberal FRANCHISES. Ii TACT, We have
granted just such charters a the railroads
presented with slight laodiEeatinna and
amendments. We have in this body remit
ted from the judgment against the Memphis
and Tennessee Railroad about two hundred |
thousand dollars.
In 1873, think, the Legislature author
lied the settlement of the Judgment in favor /
OF the State against the Sew Orleans, jack a
son & Great Northern Railroad Company
and the judgment against the Mississippi {
Central Railroad, and the judgment against '
the Mobile & Ohio Railroad Companies at c
about the same reduced rates as were made |
with the Memphis d Tennessee Railroad I
Tbs total amount OF money deducted from {
these several claims due the State By these
railroad companies will aggregate five hun-ii
uISd bilOusai8A dbli1l1f atia with tHGst
evidencies of unbounded generosity on a
the part Of our impoverished State to these '
wealthy corporations, it has been said that e
her people are unIriendly to them h
because they have asked to be p
protected frog. she imposition OF a
sXeessive charges ard unjust diserimi- P
nations against some LOCALITIES aad il favor Y
IF Others, and operating to build nR New 9
Orleans, Mobile aud Memphis, cities of q
,ther States, to the injury and depression OF e
he businessof our own State. The demand ,
If the people fur protection against these Il
lbuses is just. 1t is not idle ciamor. 1t is
ounded upon the existence of similar a
wrongs yhiek in other States have compelI- 81
d similar legislation 10 that which we pro- N
rise in Mississippi. Was it aD evidence of an c.
spiritto donate to these wealthy
half a million OF dollars Isl p
t All upfriendly spirit that has prompted m
bis very Legislature to exempt ssSir prop IS
rty from taxation for twenty years? And C
J it unlriendiy 10 say to them, now that we n'
ave conferred upon you all these extraordi- g
AIRY benefits, in behalf of the people, we b
lain, and will enforce, II we can, the right d.
the people to protection from extortion TT
NJ Discrimination We ask nothing but
hat the higHest Tribunals in the country al
ave asserted to be our fsas4s e