National Republican., 1883-01-15
THE SENATE.

rails had been presented on Saturday morn.
ing, Mr.. ingalls, introduced bill to provide
for the appointment of commission to con-
slider the subject of railway transportation
1t provides that the President, with the ad.
vice and consent of the senate, shall appoint
seven commissioners from civil life, whose
duty It shall be to consider and investigate
the subject of railway transportation in its re.
lations to the agricultural, commercial, and
industrial interests of the United States. The
commission is TO inquire generally into the
conditions affecting commerce among the
states, the grounds of complaint existing
against the railway corporations resulting
from unjust discrimination, cXorbitaut or un-
equal rates, insufficient facilities for traffic,
or unlawful combinations, and in what man
ner existing evils can be rcmedied by legisla-
tion and to report their recommendations and
the results of their inquiry to congress not
later than the first Monday of December, 1888.
The second section providing for the COM
pensation of the commissioners at $40 per day
and travelling expenses and authorizes them
to visit such portions of tho country rs they
may deem advisable in the performance of
their duties.
At the close of the morning business, Mr..
Edmunds moved to postpone the calendar in
order to take up the senate bill relating to
the condition of things in Utah.
Mr.. George was not opposed to this bill, but
he thought the bill to enlarge the powers and
duties of the department of agriculture of
more public Importance, and if the calendar
were postponed, ho preferred to havo that
considered.
Mr.. Blair thought the educational bill best
entitled to prompt consideration by the senate
if the calendar was to be laid aside. Polyg-
amy could be permanently eradicated only by
educating the children of Utah, and the edu-
cational bill contained provisions for that OBJ
ject. He understood too, that tho Utah bill
raised, incidently, the question of woman suf-
frage, and it would be idle to hope that a bill
dealing with that great and growing question
could pass without Il discussion which would
occupy as much time as the revision of the
tariff. Therefore, he would vote against tho
motion to postpone the calendar.
Mr.. Cockrell. Do understand the senator to sny
that the bill which the senator from Vermont de-
sres to have considered is in opposition to woman
Mr.. blair. understood him to say so.
Mr.. Edmunds. did not say 1t was in opposition
TO 1t.
The motion to postpone was lost--aycs 20,
noes 20; and the bill on the calendar to ex.
cludc public lands in Alabama from the oper-
alton of the laws relating to mineral lands
was taken up.
Mr.. Jones, of Nevada, moved to postpone
the calendar in order to take up tho bill for
the relief of Ben Holiday.
Inc mOtlOn was uBrepu~ lO-aNeS 20 noes 10
Mr.. Plumb moved to strike out all after the
enacting clause, and substitute the bill to cn-
large the powers and duties Of the department
of agriculture.
Mr. Williams made tho point that the
amendment was not germane to the bill. The
president said the senate had long ago de-
cided that the gcrmaneness of amendments
was not to be considered, except on appropria-
tion bills. An entirely different bill might be
engrafted OH the words "bo il enacted" and
he was informed that toward the end of last
session n railway land grant had been ell
grated upon II bill granting pension.
lLaughtor.l
Mr.. Plumb said the misfortune of the agri-
cultural bill was that it concerned only about
seven-twelfths of the people of tho United
States while the Holiday bill concerned one
man, who wanted to get Q large sum out of the
treasury by way of damages. The farmers of
the country, though intelligent and energetic,
were comparatively isolated from each other,
so that they could not readily combine us a
class for the promotion of their interests or
the protection of their rights. This was one
great reason why they should be represented
in the cabinet by n secretary of agriculture,
who could advise the president in regard to
tho needs of this great producing class upon
whose labors all other classes depended The
agricultural interest lay ut the foundation of
all others, and was the basis ofeAmerican
1nucpCuuGnCcj anu IL Woulu luCECuSe Ill
value from year to year, in proper
tion rs population trenched upon
production. The time would come when it
would not seem so certain rs now that the
harvest of each year would support all the
people of America and leave surplus to be
sent abroad Even last year we had imported
large quantities of potatoes, cabbage, peas and
beans, and what happened now when our pop
ulatiOn was only fifty millions, and when tho
government was giving away valuable agri-
cultural lands, would be certain to occur on n
much larger sCalcwhcn the population should
be 100000,000 or 20O,0O0000, and lands should
have grown valuable in proportion There
fore, the question Of food supply would grow
continually in importance and would infu-
cncc more and more the policy of the govern
mcnt. Suppose tho President to be consider
ing some question of American diplomacy
which may result in war, the first question
presented is as to the ability of the
country to carry on war. This was not
merely question of armies and navies, for
we had learned by experience that these
could be improviscd. 1t was to great eX-
tent a question of food supply and Transports
tion, and upon this no one could so well ad-
wise the president as u member of his cabinet
wisely chosen from the agricultural class. As
TO tho question of transportation Mr.. Plumb
said we were on the Threshold of legislative
action, not only by state legislatures, but also
ny tOllGfCcS regulating Iulto Vi luIb ana OF
freight, and no just and permanent settlement
of this problem could be made without taking
specially into account the interests of agricul-
ture. The relation of the farmers to the trans
portatiOn problem was, in important respects,
different from that ofGny other class. A man
who raised bushel of wheat, worth fifty cents
at the nearest railway station, and costinghfty
cents to carry it to its ultimate market was
interested quite differently in the question of
freight charges from u man who took pound
of iron, worth in its crude state perhaps q
quarter of Il cent, and by his skill converted it
into Il knife, or something else worth five hum
drod times as much us the raw material and
charge upon tho farmers wheat This and
all other great questions of public policy had
been dealt with heretofore as If the only peo-
pie to be consulted were the men in Wall
who get their inspiration from
their relations to Europe, and who make |
money by exchanging our products for those |
of Europe. This ought to have been changed |
long ago, but, us it had not been, the present |
was Il tit time to make the change. There |
seemed to be general Recognition of the fact |
that the people are dissatisfied aud desire u
change of policy, and congress could no more |
wisely or more gracefully respond to this de- |
mand than by giving the greatest and most |
important class of the people an opportunity |
to be represented in the cabinet To show
that the idea Of having agriculture so repre-
sentcd was neither new or confined to this |
Mr., Plumb sent up and had read letter of
the late NJ. Gambetta transmitting copy
OF an act establishing the ministry of
aoriculturp i'm France and raforriuU ia tl,p !