Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-06
RAILROAD IEGIsLATION


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RAILROAD LEGISLATION.
Now that the senatorial contest Is
over the Legislature can concentrate
all Its energies to the work of law
making. BY all odds the most i'm.
portant problem before the Legislature
Is the enactment of we'll digested and
practical laws. There Is no further use
In trying to investigate the conduct
Of Nebraska railroads. Through
the efforts of the corporate
managers assisted by q willing tool In
the person of Speaker Humphrey the
late investigation was turned into q
farce. A majority Of the committee
was packed with men oppoaed to any
inquiry that would expose the abuses
of the present system. Every effort
of the minority who we're honestly
inclined to bring out the facts was
throttled. The railway managers
instead of giving frank and
candid answers to the ques.
lions asked, blocked the investigation
through hired attorneys who inter
posea objections to any pertinent In
quiry, and when they did answer their
response was, for the most part, friv-
olouu, evasive and misleading.
In view of such conduct by the rail-
way managers, further trihing by the
legislature would be criminal. Enough
Is known about the outrageous e1ao
tions and highway robbsries to which
our people are mercilessly subjected
to leave the legislature no room fol-
doubt as to its duty to devise measures
of relief.
The opinion of the supreme oour,
hes effsctually disposed of every prop.
osition to create a railroad commissiou
With executive power.
The section OF the constitution
which devolyes upon the legislature
the duty of passing laws regulating
ard restricting the railroads, makes II
equally impossible for that body tc
delegate Its powers. to q commission
oven IL 1t should be composed of stats
otf,ers. Nothing, therefore, remain,
for the legislature but to draft anG
pass laws, which directly regulated
the freight and passenger charges OIL
railroads operating in this state. Thil
was the plail. intention of the consti
tuition which the Legislature cannot
shirk.
There need not be as much diff,
Guilty IL drawing up such a railroad
bill as many suppose. Other ststei
have already enacted laws to regulat,
the railroad charges, and the measure,
they have adopted, with such changer
as may be suggested by the condition.
OF settlement and traffic in our state
may be used rs guides. The frs
thing to be considered Is a prope,
classification of freights, arranged &C
cording to their bulk, weight, and tn,
risk of their carriage. The next mat
ter Is the adjustment Of the tariffs &C
cording TO such classification.
Public sentiment Is very well agreet
that the passenger rate ought not t
exceed three cents u mile. No argu
ments have been advanced by the rail-
road managers to show that such
rate would work any Injustice to tn,
roads That it would temperate,
Alightly diminish their ven |
neither here nor there. In the end
fairly low rate invariably stimulate
travel and pays the best. Texas
which Is more sparsely settled thai
Nebraska In proportion to Its area
restricts all Its railroads to
maximum rate of three cents per mile
There is no reason why our legisls
ture should permit q greater one
The maximum tariff should bs on
forced by proper penalties, and pub
licity should be given to establishe,
rates. The attorney general aud tn,
respective district attorney, should b
charged with prosecuting ~violators O
the law. 1t Is recognized that stats
tics bearing upon the management o
railroad systems are valuable In Ind
eating the operation Of laws regulatin
the railroads and In Furnishing mate
rial for their amendment or extension
With this end In view 1t would be we
for the legislature to delegate TO tn
secretary of state the power TO colles
and tabulAte such statistics by send
Ing out annually to each raj