Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-09-05
RAILROAD LEGISLATION.

The st. Louis Republican and JEFF
ferson City Tribune agree with the In
ielliuencer that the commissioners have
not the power to enforce the law against
the railroads. This is no new question,
| and the lntelligcncer is not a new re-
cruit in it. 1T has been engaged i'll dis
cussing it for a long time.
In January last, when the legislature
was in session. among other things, 1t
said:
"The commission is composed of
men of incorruptible integrity, de-
sirous of doing their duty, but as a
matter of fact without power. The
railroads are content to let things re-
main as they arc-they want no legis-
lation; they are like the protected man.
u~facturing monopolist, who cries out
that there will be a financial cataclysm
if his pampering subsidy is withdrawn,
when it is history that 1873 and 1884
were both high protective years. Every
| general assembly since 1873 has ac-
knowledged the necessity tor railroad
legislation; yet none of them have given
it to us-there is always a quarrel as to
modes. Why not take a vote in the
house Oh that point, and then perfect a
bill according to that decision? 1t
seems to lis that would be better than
to fritter away the session in conflicts
over the constitutional point at issue.
| As for ourselves we believe that the re-
honest and patriotic, unselfish, and
arrived at after mature deliberatiOn
The difficulty of permanently fixing
maximum freight rates by the legisla-
ture is demonstrated by the worthless
ness of the present law. 1t cannot be
successfully done-more than that, it
seems almost impossible to get a legis-
lature to agree upon such rates at all.
This whole matter should be entrusted
to the commission, which can coolly,
calmly, intelligently, free from parti-
sanism or demagogism, decide upon
rates just to the people as well as to
| the railroads. 1t is too late now to dis
cuss the necessity for the regulation by
The state of railroads, or the cOnstitu-
tionality of the necessary legislation
all that is settled by experience and by
numberless judicial decisions. The
thing which concerns the people now
is, have our legislators the courage to
withstand the pressure brought upon
them by the railroad lobby, and to do
what their constituents want? If they
have, and there is an earnest desire to
give us a law, it can be accomplished"
The commission in their recommen-
datiOns asked that the power to Ell
force the law he placed in their hands,
which showed that they did not fear
the responsibility. The Legislature re-
fused to pass an adequate law, and
hence the commissioners are power
less We pointed out at the time that the
senate was most to blame for the re-
suit, and it will be well for the press OF
| the state to do as the Columbia Herald
has recently done, serve notice on state
| senators that the people think their
body is an obstruction to the procure
ment of railroad legislation in the i'll
terest of the people, and that they pro-
pose to scrutinize their votes very close
~ in the future. OF course there are
many senators who are as jealous
friends of the people as could be de-
sired, but someway il has come to be
thought that the senate is the mOrgue
of all railroad bills that are not ap-
proved by the lobby.