The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-14


Ing under consideration the bill = 2iI2to estabii
a commission u regulate Interstate eommeres q
II for other parpcses--
Mr.. GEORGE said:
:; MR. President: No subject ov
: which We have jurisdiction is more II
portant than that TO which this bi
relates and none more difficult to ii
conscientious legislator. The iniere
involved concerns not only those persoT
1 who have made investment ia railroad
: bat also the hole mass of our peopl
!, There is no subject on which wise, ten
! perate, vet effective legislation is NOR
= demanded bv the public interests. II
advised, crude, or passionate Legislation
must be avoided / am deeply impres:
ed with the endorsements surrounding
the subject, and with my own inabilit,
to solve the many problems 1t present;
; We bave no precedent in our Legislation
to guide us. The power this bill seek
TO exercise has hitherto lain dormant il
the Constitution, but | do not deub
that it exists. At all events, | shall no
discuss thatquestion now. The occasion
and necessity for its exercise are of re
cent growth.
At the formation Of the Constitution
the means of transportation and inter
course in interstate commerce mainly
consisted in the navigation OF. our rivers
lakes. and the ocean on our borders
That this navigation should be free, free
to all, free to an open and unrestricted
competition by all, was one OF tie man
and most benelcent ends sought TO be
attained by the Constitution. Inter
course and transportation between the
States were placed under the jurisdiction
and control of the Federal Government
in order that there should be no unjust
Determinations or restrictions under
the sanction or cover of State authority
or through the instrumentality Of State
action The first attempt to Interfere
with this unrestricted freedom and u
grant a monopoly on our nayigable
rivers was promptly decided to be un
constitutional in Gibbons rs. Ogden in
the year 1924. The principles then
settled have again and again been reaf
| firmed and applied in numerous cases
and have received the sanction and
approval of the country.
Since then a new instrumentality OF
| interstate commerce has grown up under
State authority. with State charters; and
it has so grown und expanded that now
it has become the principal means OF
interstate transportation and interstate
| intercourse And it continues to ex-
rand yearly, having now reached the
enormous dimensions of about l25,000
miles Of railroad track and it is destined
at no distant day TO grow with our
increasing population to much larger
| dimensions.
So much of the commerce over these
roads as is interstate, or foreign, this bill,
with Others which have been intro
duced, seeks to bring under the regula-
| ton of Congress.
The total mileage of railroads in the
| Uuited States in 1888 was 12I, ,592, OF
whicn 6,753 miles were constructed that
year. | have no later statistics The
total capital stock in that year of ali
railroads in the United States amounted
to $3,708, ,060, ,5S3, and their total in
/ debtedness, funded and floating, was
| So, ,787 ,4l0,72S, making a total invest
ment, or apparent investment, in these
roads of S7,495, Al, ,3ll, an amount
equal to 45 per cent. of the total assess
ments of all the property in the Union
| in 1880 In the last-named wear there
were Il, ,33l clerks employed i'll railroad
offices, and their other employees
amounted to 236,05S, and in addition
there were 2,069 officers of these com
panies. To these may be added officers
and employees in express companies
mainly engaged in railroad tTansporta
tion, making a grand total of person,
employed in anu about transportation
on railroads of 265,3l8. The in
crease in number of these employees in
the decade from 1870 to 1880 was over
80 per cent. At the same rate OF in
crease go per cent. for ten years. the
number now would be about 329 900.
These statistics show the mag
nitude of the interests involved directly
in these companies, and the large mum
Der of persons also directly interested
in them for their daily employment
Besides these the number also directly
interested in them as stockholders
creditors, attorneys, and persons having
arrangements for determinations il
their favor in freight and passenger
charges must also be very large. | have
no means of ,ascertaining their number.
would not err on the side of eXagger
alton if | were to assume their number
TO be at least one-half million-prob
ably the number is much larger.
Any legislation we may adopt on th,
subject matter of this bill will more o
less affect this large pecuniary interest
or at all events the prejudices, of mos
of this large number of persons. Thi
consideration should admouish us Is
proceed with deliberation and care il
any legislation we may adopt; and i
should also remind US of the obstacles
which are thrown in the way of an,
; legislation whatever, however just anC
conservative.
On the other hand, the interests de
manding proper legislation are immense
The tonnage moved by all these road
in 1888 amounted to 400, ,453, 439, which
at S25 per ton, the valuation assumed
by Poor's Manual, very high author
ity. amounts TO oyer $4,000, ,0O0,0
For carrying this the railroads received
1919. 756 ,695, being about one-thirC
of the whole currency in circulation il
this country; their receipts from al
sources of railroad traffic being 1923,
~. .924, or about one-half of the who'll
currency Of the United States. Tn
total number of passengers carried BY
the railroads in the United States il
1888 was 3l2,6S6,641, being about si'
times our population. While 1t is clea
that many of these persons were trans
ported several times, yet we know ais
that large portion of our people, large
L iy more than one half, were transported
t at least once. There is scarcely humsl
/; being in the Union whose interests ar
not more or less affected by the charge
: of railroad companies on either passen
+; gers or freights, and the mode i
, which such transportation is effected.
Omitting reference to minor interest,
will call special attention now to th
immense stake which the farmers c
the country have in proper reguiatio
of interstate traffic, and especially th
grain and cotton growers and mes
J. producers. All these commodities ar
e produced here largely in excess of th
demand for consumption by our peopl
In all such cases the price of the produt
is fixed by the foreign market to whic
the excess must be shipped Th
! foreign price is fixed by the deman
and supply in the world at large. Th
: price, therefore, which the producer i
! any country will receive will neeessiar
!, ly be less than the foreign price, as fixe
by the worlds demand, by so much
the cost of Transporting the produ'
from the fields on which it is raised
It the regulating market of the world
!; which cost are included transportatic
: as the main item, and all other charg
: of middlemen.
~ The exports from the United States
agricultural products for the fiscal yei
ending June 50 1884, consisting chief
of cotton, animals, bresdstutfs, an
:. provisions, amounted 10 $3.50, ,315, 81
: in value, while all our other export
:. excluding gold and silver and includil