The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-11-21

The most important subject before tne pres
ent legislature is that Of tho just regulation OF
our railroad corporations. Tho scheme o. re-
form, In the Walker commission bill introduce
| ed by Senator Holton, supplemented with tho
".hort haul" bill, would effect rs complete and
comprehensive slrreforml ~ the inventory and
corporation lawshave in Cur system OF taxa
ton. Senators Hoton and Greene. and Pr
| Conland, and a lew others In the house have
worked hard to effect the reform, but the pros
poets now are that they will DO beaten. The
ring devcopes good deal moro strength In ira
legislature than any one supposed possible, II
has the cclat Of its triumph in re:elecling Judge
Royce, it has large number ofaplausble law
yers and lobbyists at work. and OF course all
The other railroad interests of the state have
Joined hands with 1t. They are all equally
anxious to be allowed TO employ the franchise
they have secured from the people to treat the
people just as they please. e,
Gov Smith, A B Harris, w Hobart and a
large number of other railroad managers have
been before the committee to assure 1t that such
a law would "amount to nothing" butts
complete failure in other states, etc, etc. Mean
while they are.straning every energy 70 deea1
a measure which they say would amount TO
nothing. r.A tny 81
At the committee hearing DR. Holton and q
Martin, Esq. Of Manchester. had to uphold the
cause against all The legal and political infiu'
ence the ra ilroads could muster. The railroad
managers went on the stand and soberly swore
that they know of no condition Of affairs any
where in the state which called for such legisla-
ton, rates were everywhere just as low ana
equitable as they could be, etc. 1t was great
surprise to them as case after case was pro-
duced where determinations and extortions OF
the most outrageous character are habitually
pr actised. Mr. Martin made the proof espec-
ially complete In Bennington county. tie
showed where 35 or 40 cents Is charged pas
seng ers for less than Q miles ride from beN
nngton to the state line He showed that
shippers were bled and Disseminated against IN
the most reckless and irresponsible way. Even
the other railroad managers had to admit there
was a condition of things on the Bennington
and Rutland road which ought not to be tolera-
ted in any state.
DR. Holton has shown by carefully collated
ct atistics that in Massachusetts, New Hamp-
S hire and New York there mas been reduction
Of from 80 to 70 per cent in freights and from
so to so per cent and passenger tariffs since
tn adoption of the railway commission laws.
In Vermont there are no satisfactory statistics,
but it is safe to say that there has been no re-
duction whatever, while in fact local freights
have at many points been largely increased.
1t W ould not be right to say that the commits
sions in these other states have caused the
reductions in railroad charges, but it is certain
that I he lack of a commission in Vermont has
preve nted the operation here of the causes
which have reduced the charges everywhere
else.
The constitution of Pennsylvania imposes
eXac tly The same limitation as this short haul
bill. 1t is the law of Connecticut and Macsa-
chusetts. 1t is Endorsed by CT aries Francis
Adams, Jr, by Clemens Herchel, and by the
present chairman of the railroad board, Judge |
Russell. The president of the Old Colony road |
eslify that the Old Colony and every other |
road obeys it, and certainly they suffer no
wrong by it.
There is no reason, except the debasing and |
de moralizing power of the ring over our poll |
lies, why these bills should not become laws.