Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-08-15
Congressional Regulations Of Rail-
ways.

The Interstate Commerce Com
mittee Of the United States Senate
has been extensively considering
the question Of the regulation Of
railroads during the vacation. and
the opinion in railroad circles is that
it will recommend the enactment Of
law establishing railroad commits
sion, with power to tx maximum
rates Will it Is impo- sible for
any person e ,ay yacsly Vhat .he
comnittaa WI do, .he prob ilitr Is
that the railroad people are Il liked
to have reliable infofmatio Ill al
vance as any one, and since en-
gressional regulation is exactly what
the people have been demanding, il
is probable enough that the impress
sion given out in certain railroad
quarters is correct in the main. The
Chattanooga Tradesman accepts the
rumOr, and proceeds to show why
and how such legislation as is pro-
iected will ruin the roads. 1t Incl
dentally sets before US new line of
notification to be pursued BY the
roads, and we doubt whether 1t has
fully realized the weight and mean
ing OF its own advice, or prediction,
for we do attempt to interpret it
rigidly. Our lines, it SAYS, mean
ing the Southern lines particularly,
arejustemerging from III expensive
contest to save themselves from the
rulnous interposition Of rapacious
politicians III their States. We
shall have to explain to the mso-
phisticated reader that this queer
language relates to the fight which
the roads have been making against
the State commission system, a fight
n which they have been in the !
main victorious that the battle for )
will be transferred to Con- I
gress where it belonged in the first '
llace. There are very few States !
indeed where the State Commission
ystem is aEy longer worth maintain !
ng: if the laws have not been re- G
in the interest Of the ]
Dads, other and more questionable 5
have equally prevented G
hese laws from taking such effect I
5 the people who inspired them in /
ended. The Tradesman continues: 4
They are not capable Of another t
uch resistance to government i'm !
We would be glad 10 J
elieye il, but We cant. ,,They |
Ill succumb to it if it come, and
len the United States will have lit
+ nothing in the line of railway :.
usiness i'll this section. Bulk will c;
G broken at all terminal points. n
assengers will change cars on an /
yerage every hundred miles. We K
lall be set back in our railway con- q
eniences quarter century, and d,
ay three times as much ior passage sa
J we do now. Consolidation has d,
rought low rates OF carriage and cC
ayel. Dissolution followed by as N
'ciation will put these back to the bl
d status. e1
That looks amazingly like threat er
at if Il regulation which the roads Il
.nnot nullify is put upon them, they
i'll utilize their victories in the
.ates BY retiring within State lines, ye
id diyesting the United States Of n
cir constitutional authority TO reg -
ate We strongly advise them not ed
try it. They are certainly not an
rare Of the temper Of the people if tv
ey attempt any such thing. It eo
ould take Just two years to place ar
amendment in the le;
law which would rein. n
st the General Government with vi
the power it now has, and more. -
II the amendment which the peo- ~
e would instantly create would di- th
st the States Of every shadow Of
wer over railroads, and so neu-