Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-09

BEYOND ONE MANS PowR.
There is no man who has theembodi-
ment OF wisdom 80 firmly impnted in
ms Uranium that he can sit dow in his
once and manage the intricate ntwork Of
the railroads In Georgia. takes
one man TO manage each ailroad.
ana yet you want one rairoaI man to
| manage them all with infallibltresults.
lie hoped that the House would d5est the
question OF prejudice and conder all
men as part OF the people and allroperty
as deserving of protection.
COMMISSIONERS VERSUS RAILROADS.
Mr.. Harris, of Blbh county, sedred the
moor, ana said he came to the Onsidera-
tlon OF the question as a leglatcr-to
consider 1t sQuarely and delibebtely, aud
to pass upon it without preiuice. The
whole fight turned on the adotion or re-
lection OF MIR. HarrelPs amendlent." 1t
Is said that this is a figb between
the people and the roads
Not so. The people and the
railroads are not here tOgethe, There is
another element here to-day. This case
Is the Railroad Commission one side
ana the railroads on the othe You are
10 pass on it. One represents absolute
power-the other private ppperty and
private rights. One an autOcacy that is
tne other is appealing for it's property to
De treated as other peoples property.
WHO THE RAILROADS ARE.
"Who are these railroads? Do you know
who 1t is knocking at the dooi of this
house! These persons are your)wn citi-
zeus. he stood before the Houe repre-
sentlng 100000 people in Georgia VINO de-
rive their support from the railroads, The
railroads are not wholly public rOperty.
The commission, that has gone back on
everything it has recommended don't
consider the railroads public property.
Let US see what these corporations
are. In Georgia we lave no
rlch men. We must aggregate ourselves
into the shape OF corporations Thus we
DO what we could not do ina separate
capacity. If you develop this county you
must do 1t by aggregating y)ur capital.
Who are they? | stand here to advocate
the cause Of the children of Georgia.
THE COMMISSIONS POWER UXCoNsTITU-
TIONAL.
1.-The convention took up .he idea that
corporations must be controlled by law.
Ii the constitution took away from the
roads the right to make rates, then every
rate that the commission has made is un-
constitutional, because the commission
only flXes maximum rates. The roads can
cut below the commissions rates if they
see tit. II it was provided by the consttu-
ton that the commission should fix rates,
then to cut below is a violation of the
spirit Of the constitution. The coustitu-
tion did not take away the right OF the
roads to make their rates. If you can
take the power away from the commission
you can give it to the officers G. the roads.
To say Otherwise is to say that the COM
mission has grown greater than it's
creator, and has gone up higher than the
law.
RESTRICTIONS NOT REMOVED.
''The restrictions against unjust dis
examinations are yet left in this proposed
law. The constitution provides that the
Legislature shall from time to time pass
laws to prevent unjust determinations.
but does not say that the
State shall take absolute charge Of
the roads. The State brought the railroads
here with the tacit understanding that
they were to be allowed to manage their
own property. 1t is idle to say that there
Is a chance for redress now. When you
20 To the commission on an appeal for a
new hearing you ask them to correct their
own actloE- Under the proposed law you
appeal from the roads TO an Impartial tri-
bunal. In addition to that the proposed
law enables the roads to deal directly
with the people. The demand Is on both
sides. 1t enables the roads to control the
workings Of their own property.
II there is oppression the people
may by simple message appeal
TO the commission that has been
cutting with red and two-edged knife.
They have been so much in the habit Of
cutting with it that he feared they could
not stop"
Mr.. Arnheim asked If the railroads
could not appeal 10 the Legislature.
Mr.. Harris said they were there appeal
ing for justice TO be done them-asking
the Legislature TO come in between the
commission and themselves. Georgia has
more railroads than any other State IN the
South. and has those railroads because
they were fOstered and encouraged.
ASKING NOTHING UNUSUAL.
To-day the roads are asking that the
Legislature do what our fathers did for
them. The demand is just, and he trusted
it would 80 strike the impartial sense OF
the General Assembly. Mr.. Harris said
that self-preservation was the first law Of
nature, and IL the question was forced
into politics the roads would have to take
care OF themselves, and il mighS be that
we would have euacted in Georgia some
OF the painful scenes and terrible riots
and strikes that have been witnessed In
other parts Of the country. Mr.. Harris
said he would not say the question would
be carried into politics, but the tendency
was that way.
NOTHING DISHONEST IMPUTED.
Mr. Harris said that he imputed 70 the
members on the other side nothing but
honest motives and honest convictions in
reference TO the bill. The railroads are
here asking redress. The Supreme Court
has told the roads to 20 to the people and
get the law changed. There is an injury
being done the roads That will be re-
dressed sooner or later. Under the pro-
posed bill the people can be heard
easier than now. Now there is
no regular form for complaints.
while under the proposed bill a
postal card addressed TO the commission
would make a case. and without more ado
the road is cited to appear and the rate Is
regulated.
DIX. FELToN's CIRCULAR.
MIR. Harris said that he had been I'm
formed that the shareholders corporation
was not In existence. The manager Of IL
was a railroad crank in New York. who
made various efforts 10 get the Georgia
men into bis scheme. On the circular
were the names OF men who had been dead
10 years. II was the scheme OF a crank,
aud passed out OF existence without hav-
ing IN all probability Influenced single
SIR. Harris said that the opponents OF
the bill had aaid that II the bill was
passed that part OF the constitution that
tfIl Fars a