Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-01-15

er progress would be made by recommit-
ting all bills and proposed amendments to
the committee, who could consider them
and report promptly to the Senate.
After further debate, participated in by
Bayard, Dawes, Cullom, Harrison, ingalls,,
Slater, MaXey and Jones of Florida, a
motion to recommit was rejected by vote
of IS to o.
Cullom said that when, after discussion,
the Senate bill should be perfected, he
would move to amend the House bill by
substituting the Senate bill for it.
Wilson's amendment, making it un-
lawful for the railroads to discriminate
against localities or individuals, was added
to the bill.
Vance proposed an amendment making
it unlawful for railroads to charge small
shippers higher rates than large shippers
on subjects to which the bill related. He
said it constituted the coming question III
American politics for the next twenty
years. 1t may be tentative measure, but
something was necessary. The public were
not willing to commit the commerce of the
country for all time to the greed and cupldlty
of railroads, without endeavOring to pro-
tect themselves against eXtortion. He ac-
knOwledged that difficulties surround the
subject, but u beginning had to be made.
There was no reason why railroads should
not be as popular as they were necessary.
They We're public servants, and were no
more justified in charging the poor man or
the small shipper more for service rendered
him than was charged for like service to the
rich man or the large shipper. 1t would be
like the case of a Judge, who should feel JUS
tilted in imposing light penalty on man
who was often in court because he was
wholesale offender, and imposing a heavy
penalty on the man WHO Was honest enough
to be occasionally brought into court. Vance
thought, however grave the difficulties OF
governmental supervision of railroads may
be, those difficulties would be overcome, as
the genius of the race to which we belong
had always been equal to the redress OF
every grievance that had pressed upon
them.
George, of Mississippi, supported Vance's
amendment. Unless we were prepared to
say that difference in opinion among men
justified difference in charges, the amend
proportionally more expensive to carry
small shipments than large ones, was an
argument not permissible to railroads, since
they did not pretend to charge for carrying
goods according to the cost Of service, but
according to the principle Of what the traffic
would bear. The cost of service had moth
ing to do with the railroad charges. George
spoke at length upon the inevitable tenden-
cy of industry to concentration, and the
severity with which that tendency bears on
the weaker and poorer portion Of the COM
munity, and while this tendency was un-
doubtedly the result of fundamental eco
nomic laws, yet human laws were the in
strumentality of its expression, and human
laws could regulate and direct it for the
good of society. If the proposed amend,
ment were adopted, small enterprises would
he encouraged and an impetus be given to
the efforts of energetic men who do not hap
pen to have large capital. George cited
many illustrations of the incongrulty ana
South to the great disadvantage, he said, of
Mississippi.
Pending the debate, the Senate went into
executive session.