The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-12-20
The House,.

WASHINGTON, December 19.-Consld-
Grafton of the interstate commerce bill
was the order.
Hewitt said that while pooling might
be an evil there were many evils which
were remedies for other greater evils
The evils pooling were intended 10
remedy and which became intolerable,
were the evils of unlinited competition.
Large business houses had been
compelled to employ clerks, whose
sole business it was to go from
railroad Office to railroad office
and make bargains. More than
that. the companies themselves which
were intended to be common carriers,
found themselves reduced to condl-
dition of petty hucksters. who were
compelled to have a great army of
clerks to regulate the freight on
very invoice of freight shipped
over their lines. This evil was
so enormous that it led to the
only practicable remedy, which was
pooling. Pooling, if honestly con-
dUcted, gave stability in the
rate of freight and equal
terms to every customer: and
carried out the great principle OF equal
rights to all men. How should the evils,
of the pooling arrangement be over
| come? The gentleman from Texas
| 1Reagan) said that by the abolition of
| Dooling that would cOnsign the country
! to the chaos from which pooling had ex-
! treated it. Let it be regulated by the
appointment of COMMISSION.
The commission would be ap-
familiar with the subject, but the bill to
abolish pooling would be contrary to
their Judgment, There was an express
sion that Congress could determine the
conditions on which business should be
done. All it could do would be to pre-
vent the western and southern produc-
ers from getting access to the open
markets of the world. The congestion
! which now prevailed in every part OF
the countrv-the congestion OF the
nroducts of labor and capital-was due
TO the fact that the channels
of commerce had been damned
up by protective obstruction
laws. This the gentleman from Texas
would increase. If this bill passed,
steamships would go unladen and the
commerce of the great port OF New
York which was the outlet for the COM
merce OF the country, would be utterly
paralyzed.
Reagan said the gentleman's great OBJ,
lection to the pooling section of the bill
Seemed to be that it would compel COM
panies to employ a large number OF
clerks. If the gentleman had read the
hill little further, he would have seen
that it provided that schedules of rates
should be posted up. 1t was proposed
bv law to remedy what the gentleman
proposes as remedy, by giving the ran,
roads the right to pool. He (Reaganl
would restore to the people the rlght OF
competition, which would cheaper the
> rates of freight and would take.from the
?, railroads the power to enrich themselves
r and impoyerish the people. The gentle
man from New York would not vote foI
a any.proyision of the bill and purposed Il
0pD0se every effort to lay the restrain
e of legislative regulation on the power o
these corporations to rob and plunde
the people. ~
Dunn favored the provisions OF tn
bill, and. in conclusion, said: I'M
J. gentleman speaks of the voice OF New
Yorknot being heard. 1t is the han'
}; of New York that is felt on the throa
q of this country, and that makes this leg
islation necessary. Let the genuelnal
d remember that. Let New York Stacker
y this grip, and this legislation VIII not b
- necessary.
g Hewitt then offered an amendmen
permitting pooling contracts when the,
e were reasonable and just.
'e Phelps thought the discussion ma "a;
u disclosed. the uuwisdOm and IT
l. Justice of the bill Tt was an a
tempt to regulate railway manag,
re ment. In all cases when the case
we're of infinite number and variiet.
how absurd it was to think that thoS
cases could be heldin the same CASTRO
70 grasp. Railroads, would, every TIM
s evade. elude and openly disobey thes
ID regulations and appeal to tn the ,pp eoPIt+
ye If this bin passed, the railroads woul
III do one of two things. One was
5 violate every proposition Of
lv and fill the courts SO IqlL
~ actions against them that the wheels
+. i1stice would be blocked. This woul
nd attract nublic attention, and puohc a
er tentiOn wonld give redresS. ~ %,
5, other thing for the railroads to to- 90 ". ".
to give an order, which would ser
o,,ary Locomotive into the erOun0nOuS