The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-28
A Complicated and Perplexing Question
Which Is Giving the Senatorial States
man No End of Worry and Trouble.
The Talk About a Duel Between Cuth-
bert B. Jonesand Hon Floyd King.
The Estimate Placed on the Two Men by
Washington PeOple-Public Sympathy
TendSin JOness FayOr-Capital Notes.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE..
Senator Harris Talks About the Perplexities
of This Complicated Question:

Senator Harris Talks About the Perplexities
of This Complicated Question:
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 27.-Since the Senate
committee on interstate commerce has finished
its work of collecting information bearing on
that subject, Senator Harris, of Tennessee. has
taken up his quarters Capitol HILL here. The
Senator feels very forcibly that the interstate
commerce question is an immense one and the
difficulties attending its proper solution. as he
tells them, are very interesting and often anus
ing.
when we first began our inquiry" said he to
your correspondent the other evening, II made
up my mind on certain points and felt that
l had correct solution Of the whole
matter. Then would meet some experienced
and practical railroad man. and in about
ten minutes talk he would take all the under
pinning out of my legislative structure and I'd
feel all at sea again. Then I'd start to build and
about the time felt that saw proper course
to be adopted in settling the question, the same
thing would happen again, until now don't feel
as If knew half as much about the matter as
when i first began investigating. To give you
idea of the complexities of the question, take,
for instance the New York Central and the
West Shore lines. What is to be done in the
way of legislation for themf One of the
roads was built and paid good pecentage on
the investment Some capitalists thinking they
had too good a thing of it, paralleled the whole
line, when in my opinion the one road would
have been sufficient to carry ali the passengers
and freight that it will be called upon to handle
for the next fifty years at least. AS far as any
benefit to the country at large is concerned the
money that went into the second line
might have been dumped into the Atlatic ocean.
But the two roads are there. and if the State
wishes to allow company to run third, there
would be nothing to prevent it so doing. You
couldn't legislate that roads should clear GER
tain per cent. only, for the fact is that one of
these roads is losing money, and bankruptcy is
staring it in the face. The road last built
is actually carrying passengers and freight for
rates not sufficient to pay the investors
anything at all. Then some roads run through
country of such character that the
building and running will cost twice as much
whole subject is bunch of complexities, and
one as to aggregate one-ffth the whole wealth
of the country, any legislation affecting their in
terests must be very cautious. The rates can
not be fixed by legislation. What can be done
is to say that roads shall publish their rates and
stick to them until they changed by due
notice being given. This will tend to break up
railroad wars and will be beneficial to the COM
panies AS we'll as the patrons. Then the practice
of companies charging, in many cases, more
for the short haul than for the long haul must be
prohibited, 30 that in no case the aggregate rate
for the long haul shall be less than the rate to
any intervening point the road. But as /
said before, legislation must be very slow, that
no mistake be made"