The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-30


ers. bat cannot reach them on account Q
t competitions. Supervision in Illinois va
doing nothing, bus stood a. incubus on th'
people Of Illinois and the commissioners
drew their salaries. The failure to pass |
supervisory bill would have no effect On tbs
taxation OF rca Il. Taxation could be i'm
E posed to day, except where the roads weTs
exempted from taxation by their charters
: Supervision in Mississippi, in his opinion
E to-day. he deemed inexpedient He admitted
unjust discrimination in certain cases. and
, drew parallel by calling attention TO duly
transactions in mercantile houses. Dis
elimination was right belonging to every.
holy.
The question of unjust disc limitation
was matter for the courts TO decide. Ii
I the railroads were oppressive to the people
he would be one OF the frss to advocate
T their supervision. but in this dag of pro-
grass and enterprise he deemed it inexPe-
dent to hamper their progress and the
building up of the State.
Mr. Baker said he would vote very cheer
! fully at the proper time for the indefinite
postponsment Of this bill; he thought there
, were more important measures which
: should be acted on than the one now up
for consideration. 1t having been rumor-
Ell currently that ne was opposed to saPer-
vision of railroads and was a railroad at
torney. he desired to state that on the
: question of supervision, every member
should do what he could to carry out the
2 wishes of his constituents, and he would adj
r yocate the passage OF a bill which sheaid
, be fair in all proportions. With the single
exception of having acied as attorney III a
: railIo I'd C use several months ago he had no
connection with them. He called the al
tention OF the House to the history of the
bill now pending. 1t did not receive the
endorsement of the legal branch of the
House; it WIS pat on the House under
whip and spur, without the sanction of the
Railroad Committee.
The b Il had but a semblance of suPeTvis-
ion AID was gigantic fraud imposed upon
the people of the State. He should vote
against the bill because If took money from
tIe pockets of the people, because it put it
in the power of members OF this Legislature
to be appointed commissioners.
The only two evils com plained of by the
people were the killing of stock and the
great delay in obtaining remuneration of
the same. These matters were provided
for by another bill now before the House.
which he should support. The fixing of
rates was the other evil complained Of A
bill to arrange this matter WIS before the
, | House. The welfare of the people would
be increased by a diversity of crops and
the growing of diversified crops could only
be accomplished by having sufficient trans
portation for the crops thus raised. He
wanted the matter settled in manner fair
and effe ctual.
Mr.. Nash: said why is it that those who
l.
bring forth their amendments to the bill
and have it put in a shape desired by them
He desired bill passed which would re-
lieve the causes of complaint by the peo-
pie. Regarding the question of vested
? rights to railroads, he quoted legal opinion
ON the subject, and stated under State SOW
ereignty a Legislature could pass any law
on any question, not prohibited by the
, Constitution of the State or of the United
States. He read from the preamble of the
: Constitution of the United States, and said
> it was an infringement on the rights of the
people living ON the line of tracks to be OF
pressed by exhorbitant rates and finally
crushed ont. The Constitution was pro-
lection to the poor people when i'll danger
from oppression by great monopolies.
The right to re sulate the commerce of the
! people lies in the people. All corporations
are subject to taxation the same as the
. property of the people. Mr.. Nash took
his views of the case from a constitutional
point of view ald spoke eloquently in sup
port of the power of the Legislature 10
supervise railroads, as well as other corpor-
ations.
Mr.. Orr said: VIXEN the bill was first in
tro11ced he dill not intend to take part in
the discussion; he was aware the friends of
the bill and those opposed to it were liable
to criticism, but he took his stand from a
, point of honor, and let criticism go. As to
the killing of stock along the lines of rail-
roads and no remuneration of the same be-
ing made, he quoted the law which stated
the mere fact of tbe killing of stock by the
railroads was prima fIcid evidence that it
was clused by care esne on thu part of the
; railroad.
+ Regarding the statement that the pass
ton of the bill would open a position for
some member on the floor, he quoted the
Constitution which debars any member of
the Legislature from occupying any posi-
> ton of emolument created By act of Legis-
lature during the term he served as a mem
Der. The adoption of the measure would
? save to Okolona on the transportation of
cotton alone, more than money enough to
pay the whole commission. The sagges
lodging the issue. The gentlemen who
matured this measure were not hostile to
railroads; they wanted simply what the
Democratic party pledged the people III
1877 that they should have, and it was upon
. the report of Col. Prewitt that the article
| was engrafted in the Constitution, and he
asked, rs Yazoo holding her OWN" He
/ quoted the times of Queen Elizabeth, when
/ the necessities of life could only be OBJ aimed
: at exhorbit1nt rates, the angry populace
? arose ana demanded a repeal of the p-ivi-
, leges which caused this state of aft airs.
She yielded, and the speaker wanted our
growing master monopoly to yield to the
t wishes of the people. The demand of the
: rights of the people over the rights of the
! mOnopolists is a demand that is attracting
' the attention of the people of the entire
: Union. He asked no violation of contracts
supervision of railroads and not destruc-
ton. If lie thought this bill would prevent
the building or delay the construction of
q another mile of road in the State, he would
: vote against it. Regarding discrimination,
I. ne had observed that the gentlemen who
t opposed supervision were either on com
: peting points or on competing lines that
: is, they lived on water courses which could
at any time crush out any railroad The
II water courses were their supervisors ana
their regulators, Granted, for the sake of
: argument, that the States which had tried
+ supervision, had found it a failure, why
didn't they repeal the laws? Why, if it is a
n failure, do the friends of railroads where a
: law does not now exist, when one Is intro
daced, kick like foar-yeaT old kentucky
mule? When measure is proposed for the
n benefit of the people and to the detriment
5 of few capitalists, delay from day to day
f and week to week. On the question OF
r Constitutionality, the Supreme Court of the
| United States had sustained the legality OF
supervision in certain cases and he wanted
d nothing done which would conflict with
any vested right contained in the
e charter of any road, and he was
n unable to find anything to that effect in the
It bill now before the House. The bill as a
e whole is elastic enough TO meet all cases
Il and if anything, leans to the Interests OF
J. railroads and not to the interests Of those
who desire to crush them.
= Mr.. Cutrer introduced a resolution that
1t it is the sense of the House the Speaker be
a heard on ths question of Railroad Super
g vision.
/ The Speaker ruled the resolution out Of
/; order.
II message was received from the Gov
/ ernor stating that he had approved Hous'
d Joint Resolution memorializing the Con
'e gress of the United States IN behalf of thu
lie city of Greenville.
1t At Up. m. the House took recess unit
" 7:30 D. m.
Sc HOUSE EIGHTEENTH DAY.
is NIGHT SESSION.
; MONDAY, Jan. IS, 1884.
The reeess having expired, the Speake
r called the House 10 order.
a Consideration of House bin No. It's. va
Is resumed
e Mr.. Crump offered as an amendment th