The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-20

the subject; but a bill TO abolish pooling would
be contrary to their judgment.
At this point Mr.. Hewitt's time expired, and
Mr.. Warner, of Ohio, obtained the floor and
yielded it to him. To this arrangement Mr..
Reagan objected, on the ground that the debate
had been already very protracted.
Mr.. Hewitt replied that the voice of New
York had not been heard in this debate. If the
gentleman chose to paralyze the voice Of New
York, let him take the consequences.
Mr.. Reagan withdraw my objection; let
the voice Of New York be heard.
Mr.. Hewett, the voice Of New York, has not
been heard in the debate. Its voice has been
silent because the men of business of New York
despair Of wise legislation on these great com
mercial questions by this House, They have
seen this House restrict resumption of specie
payment; they have seen this House thrust a
silver bill down the relurctant Threats Of an I'm
willing community, and now they behold this
House, and this side of it, forcing reactionary
measures on the of the country, which
will imperial the business of New York, which
is the throat of the of the country.
Continuing, Mr.. Hewett said the proposition OF
the gentleman from Texas was that no altera-
ton should be made in the condition of COM
merce, except on fve-day notices. There was
IN impression that Congress could determine
the conditions on which business should DO done.
All it could do would be to prevent Western and
Southern producers from getting access to the
open markets of the world. The con
gestion which now prevailed in every
part of the country-a congestion of the products
of labor and capital-was due to the fact that the
channels of m had been damned up by
protective obstructive laws. This the gentleman
from Texas would increase. If this bill was
passed, steamships would so u~nladen, and the
of the great port of New York, which
was the outlet for the ommerc Of the country,
would be utterly paralyzed.
Mr.. Reagan SAID the gentlemans great oblec-
ton to the pooling section of the bill seemed to
be that it compelled the companies to employ
q large number of clerks. If the gentleman had
read the bill a little further. he would havo seen
that it provided that schedules of rates should
be posted up. 1t was proposed by law to remedy
what the gentleman proposed TO remedy by
giving the railroads the right to pool. He Mr..
Reagan would restore to the people the right of
competing, which would cheapen rates of freight
and would take from the railroads the power to
enrich themselves and impoverish the people.
Thu gentleman from New York would not vote
for any provision of the bill, and proposed to
oppose every effort to lay the restraint of legisla-
tive regulation on the powers of these corpora
lions to rob and plumber the people.
Mr. Dunn favored the provisions of the bill,
and in conclusion said: THE gentleman speaks
of the voice of New York not being heard. 1t is
the hand Of New York that is felt OH the throat
of this country, and that makes this legislation
necessary. Let New York slack this grip, and
this legislation will not be necessary"
MIR. HewitJs amendment was lost-19 to SO.
Mr.. Hewitt then offered an amendment per-
hitting pooling contracts when they were rea-
sonable and Just. He denied that he was op-
posed to legislation on the subject of interstate
commerce, ana again announced his willingness
to support the commission bill. Experience had
established pools, and pools had established COM
missions. The time had arrived when the pub
lie should be recognized in q commission. He
called attention to the fact that in 1874 it cost
% cents to transport a bushel of grain from
Chicago to New York, while last year the rate
had fallen to - cents. This reduction had been
accomplished by pooling and regulating pooling.
Mr.. Phelps thought the discussion had dis
closed the unwisdom and injustice of this bill.
1t was an attempt to regulate railway manage
ment in all cases. When these cases were infinite
in number and variety, how absurd it was to
think those cases could all be held III the same
eastiron grasp. The railroads would every
time evade, elude and openly disobey these reg
ulations, and appeal to the people. and the peo-
pie would remit the penalty. The people were
satisfied with the reform and progress which
had been made by great natural. laws. Had
these laws lost their powerl Was not com
petition greater and more powerful now than
ever before2 In New York it had once been
said that nothing but the national treasury
could eyer build a rival to the Pennsylvania,
the Erie and the New York Central roads; but
the law Of competition stepped in, and
800, 600, GOO, gathered without public solicita-
ton, through the Nickel-plate and West Shore
roads, stood as the representative of the power
of competition. The great power of public
opinion never acted as quickly as it did now,
and never were railroads so sensitive to
1t. If this bill passed. the railroads
would do one of two things. One was to violate
every provision of it, and fill the courts so full of
actions against them that the wheels of Justice
would be blocked; this would attract public at
%tention, and public attention would give redress.
The other thing for the railroads to do was to
give an order which would send every locomotive
into the round house, and the silence which fol
lowed would be felt from Portland, Ore, to
Portland, Me-, and in that stiffness 56,0 O. 600
of people would hear the only words, that could
be heard-the familiar voice of the Speaker
when he said, ''rhe gentleman from Texas asks
unanimous consent to pass q bill repeating the
interstate act and nothing furth-
er would be heard except the prompt questions:
SIS there obiectionl" and Just as sure as thunder
followed lightning, the answer would be, No
objection" Applause on the Republican side.
Mr., Cox Of New York, favored Mr.. Reagan's
bill.
At this point Mr.. Ermentrout presented from
the committee on accounts and privileges a
resolution regulating the manner in which the
expenses of the committee investigating the, con-
duct of Marshal Lot Wright shouldbe disbursed.
A dispute arose as to occupancy Of the floor by
Mr.. Keifer, and the Republicansfeeiing a~ggrieved
at a ruling of the Speaker, demanded the yeas
and nays on the adoption of the resolution. 1t
was adopted.
Mr.. Reagan moved that. all debate on the
third section of the interstate commerce bill
close in fve.minutes. The Republicans desired
a longer time, and after nearly an hour wasted
in r~oll-calls, ten minutes were accorded them.
Mr.. Hewltts amendment was rejected without
division.
In the course of the discussion Mr.. Budd con
tended that the provisions of the bill did not pre-
vent. physical pooling" as contradistin-
guished from moneyed pooling, and though Mr..
Reagan denied this was the case, he permitted
Mr.. Budd to offer an amendment, which was
adopted, to remedy the difficulty. Further con-
slderatlon of the bill was postponed, and the
Speaker laid before the House a communication
from the Secretary of the Interior, asking an APP
preparation of $40,0 900 for protection and i'm
provement of the Fellows tone National Park.
Referred.
Mr.. Blanchard introduced a joint resolution,
which was referred to the committee on iudicia-
~, proposing a constitutional amendment pro
viding that the power vested in the executive to
make treaties, by and with the consent of the
Senate, shall not be construed to embrace, reel
procity treaties affecting the of the GOV
eminent, and reciprocity treaties affectingAeve-