Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-22
THURsDAY.....JANUARY %, 1886
Interstate Commerce Bills

>S"ksSoo w icbu"tc iheot-StoS NV"-
merce. We have found the speeches Of
q number Of the Senator's and Repre-
senta.ires highly informatory, not to
say entertaining. In reading those
speeches we have again and again been
reminded by the arguments and illus
trations Of the speakers Of the fact.
often referred to by MS heretofore, that
laws frequently operate directly the re-
verse Of the manner in which they were
expected by their trainers to operate.
We propose to mention a few features
of the REAGAN and the Senate bills for
the benefit Of our readers.
First, we are glad that Mr.. BECK
has moved to strike out that feature Of
the REAGAN bill which in providing
that separate accommodations for whites
and blacks shall not be deemed viola
ton Of the law, does in effect claim for
Congress the right TO make it the law
that to provide separate accommoda-
tons for whites and blacks shall be
violation Of the law. Congress has the
power and the right to regulate commerce
between the States; but surely such
provision as the one to which Mr.. BECK
objects cannot be intended to regulate
commerce. 1t seems TO us TO be stretch
ing the Constitution when it is made to
cover such legislation as that. The
"blanket clause" as Mr.. GARLAND
so happily dubs it, ought to be relied
upon. We mean of course the power
to provide for the general welfare, &c.
Another provision of the REAGAN
bill is that railroad shall not charge
more for shorter haul than for longer
one-that is, let us say by way of Illus
tration, shall not charge more for haul
ing carload from Huntington to
Staun!on than for hauling carload
from Huntington to Richmond. Is that
a wise provisions Think Of what it
means, or rather how it would operate.
Il means that railroad may charge as
much for shorter as for longer haul,
and would operate to legalize the
charging of as much to haul
carload from Huntington to Staun-
ton as from Huntington to Richmond.
Are you willing to legalize charges of
that sort? If not, how will you so
change the provision referred to as to
make it accomplish the object you have
in view? Will you provide that the
railroad shall not charge as much for
shorter haul as for longer one? DO
so, and then to reduce the one charge
one cent on carload would comply
/. with the requirements Of the law.
Let us say here that we mention
Huntington and Staunton and Richmond
only by way of illustration; for Mr..
WILLIAMS, Of Kentucky, expressly
stated in the Senate that he had never
heard anybody complain Of injustice or
discrimination on the part of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio road. Another of Mr..
WILLIAMs's remarks was that the
Gospel, the common school, and the
railroad have been the three great
agencies under God in the civilization Of
the world. Another. that railroads
ought to be restrained by law from i'm
proper determinations and unjust en-
tortions, but no did not know how il
was to be done.
Again: Congress has no power to
regulate intra-State commerce, but only
Interstate commerce. The Richmond
and Allegheny railroad lies wholly
within the State Of Virginia. There
fore neither the Senate bill, nor the REA-
DAN bill, nor any other bill, can operate
upon that road so long as it chooses to
keep itself free from eatangling ALI
ances. IL il confines itself to Virginia,
il may snap its fingers at Congress.
Again: A railroad that carries wheat
from Chicago to New York city has to
compete with water transportation at
least as far as Buffalo. How can il
successfully compete If it is not allowed
TO lower its charges between Buffalo and
Chicago? Or if all the wheat is sent
by water to Buffalo, the local shippers
will have to pay much higher charges
to make up for the pecuniary loss con-
scquent upon loss OF all the through
freight.
A senator offered to the provision
fcrbidding railroad to charge as much
for shorter as for longer haul the
following amendment
. But this provision shall not be con-
strned to legalize the charging as much
for q shorter as for longer distance in
any case"
However, the lawyers in the Senate
saw as soon as this proyiso was read
that II could be evaded, as we have
said, by charging cent less on car
load transported the shorter distance,
and the proviso as amended received
oniy eleven votes. We speak now Of |
the Senate bill.
We hare said enough, we think, to |
satisfy our readers that we may well |
reflect long time upon the subject
before committing ourselves to the sup
port Of. any bill for regulating utter
State commerce that has yet made its
appearance In Congress.