The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-01-25
The Georgia Railroad Commission.
RIVED FROM REGULATING FREIGHTS
AND FARES.
New York Herald

New York Herald,
The special committee of the New York
Chamber of Commerce on railroad trans
portation, at the meeting of the Chamber
yesterday, submitted report reviewing the
result of the experiment that has been made
by the State of Georgia in appointing
Railroad Commission. The Georgia Com
mission was established in 1879, and it has
greater powers than that of Massachusetts,,
inasmuch as it is made the duty of the
ing freight and passengers on the railroads
within that State, but with less power than
the English Railway Commissioners, the
decision Of the Georgia Commissioners be-
those of the English Commissioners are not.
The third semi-annual report of the Georgia
Commissioners, just submitted, is very
elaborate and complete exposition of
the relation of railroads to the
public, and the Chamber of Com
merce committee have made many extracts
from it.
In summarizing the results of the law the
committee says that in two years the COM
mission has done away with unjust discrim-
nations as regards both localities and indi-
viduals. Rates are now publicly posted at
every station, and every shipper can see
what he will be charged for given service.
Freight and passenger rates have been both
equalized and reduced the savings there
from being estimated at more than 81 ,000,-
000-eguivalent to their entire State tax
and yet the increase Of traffic resulting there
from has yielded larger net returns to the rail
roads than before. This result, the commit
tee says, has been attained in the face of
strenuous opposition from the railroads,
which first opposed any regulation or con
troll aud, when they found this inevitable,
sought to make it imperative by cunningly
devised amendments. Failing in this they
charged that the delegation by the Legisla-
ture to the commission of the power to fl x
rates was unconstitutional but the legality
Of this action by the Legislature has been fully
sustained BY the courts. The influence Of
shippers who desired rates more favorable
than their neighbors was also invoked toI
defeat this legislation, but it was not sue
cessfal; aud the people Of Georgia to-day
nave a means of securing fair treatment |
from their railroads, which would be worth |
millions of dollars annually to the people of
the State of New York.
THE COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS.
In the course of the report of the Georgia |
Commissioners they say:
The act of 1879 was great stride in the |
right direction drawn with unusual care
and caution it made an excellent beginning. /
But this act, as we'll as the Constitution. /
recognized the need of amendment in the I
light of experience complete system must /
needs be a gradual growth and not a crea-
ton. The needful amendments apply not /
70 much to rights as to remedies-remediesE
being the great function of the commission |
Prior to the act of 1879 the common law
of the citizen to be protected against ex-
tortion aud unjust discrimination existed in
its full force but the remedy for its viola [
ton was wholly inadequate. Practically /
the citizen had no rights. though his theoret-
zeal right was ample and complete The
rights of the railroad companies were well
defined enough, and their remedies also we're
adequate, being in their own hands. It was
their capacity for abusing their powers which
was not sufficiently held in check.
The citizen stood at such a disadvantage
that his rights were merely nominal. To
illustrate: Suppose him to receive a package
on which the actual freight charge was ST.
80, while a just and reasonable rate would
be but 81. What could he do? Usually
he could not wait, but must pay the $50
under PROTESTANT bring suit afterward. iii
he thought it worth his while, for the half
dollar oYercharge. But could he afford to
do this His interest in the matter would
not warrant the expense-the costs, fees.
witnesses, the discussion of the prin-
eiples and facts involved, as to what rate
would be reasonable and just in the partic-
ular case. And only the one case would Be
settled after all. The next day a parcel
would be charged seFenty-fve cents, worth
but fifty, and the two twenty-five cents
would involve new suit. Practically he
was obliged to submit Were it a mer-
chant who oEercharged him be would trans
fer his trade to another house. But in
dealing with the railroad he IS dealing
usually with monopoly, unless at CON-
peting polnt-and now even at such a point
By reason Of pooling land 80 he was remedi-
less. A litigation would usually settle but
a single ease-one elass-one distance
scarcely any principle at all
Such was the attitude Of the citizen.
Consider next the attitude of the railroad
prior 70 the act of 1879. It had 4 large in
lerest in results. Instead Of 80 cents null
tiplied BY /, 1.-THE citizens interest1 the rail-
road had so cents multiplied bg 1000 81
LOG, 600 as its interest. It would have. AZ
50, ample experience, and the best legal
talent already engaged and trained and
waiting and al the experts favorahly IN
clined So uneqnally we're the parties
matched that IN the whole history az the