The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-05-29

only under delegated powers; aud
where is the warrant to bo found
for their delegation by Congress
to a commission. Congress may
undoubtedly create a commission
and confer upon it given powers,
if they be so precisely and mar
rowly described and limited as to
leave the commission no discre-
tionary authority in any matter
where its action would be final
but they would leave the commits. |
sion no field for any useful work. |
Does any Senator feel safe in an
nounclng that Congress can con.
fer on a commission the power to |
regulate the rates of transpOrta-
ton so as TO bind the railroad |
companies And ifit can not fix
rates what good purpose that is
practical can commission serve
But If tho power be conceded the
work is beyond the capacity Of I
any commission that can be ap
pointed. There are more than
fifteen hundred railroads in the
United States, stretching over
about 10000 miles of territory.
Some of them cost millions to con.
struct a single mile, and, by com.
parison, some were built for in
considerable sums, aud the cost of
mono of them is the true test OF
their present value.
Some run through densely pop
ulated, rich, and prosperous re.
gions, and some through those
which are sparsely settled, where
the people and tho soil are poor
alike. Trains on some run every
fifteon minutes in the day and on
others they run tri weekly. AT
intervals of about ten miles or
less, upon the average, on most
important roads, are stations from
which goods may be shipped to
other stations on other roads in
the Union which are not purely
local lines. These shipments vary
in value, in the difficulty of hand.
ling them. in the necessity for
speedy transportation and prompt
delivery. and in the measure ofre-
sponsibilty for loss, damage, or
delay. They may consist of coal
worth $40 q car load or silks or
laces worth thousands of dollars
a case with hundreds of cases in a
car. They may consist of ice, live
stock, or fruits, which must go
through with speed, or of lumber
or brick which would neither
waste nor perish by delay. The
variety Of freights is endless, and
so is the variety OF questions
which the commission must con.
slider, as affecting the rights of
hundreds Of railroads and millions
Of people, before II could arrive
at q tariff of charges which the
commission itself would say Is
even approximately just to ship
per or carrier.
How long would it take the com.
mission to perform even imper.
fectly the duty of gathering the
necessary data on which to pro.
coed advisedly, and then deter.
mining, on the material collected,
what rates would be reasonable
on all the "interstatep roads in the
Union? SO long, l venture to say,
that before the completion of the
work the changes in business in
this active age and in the condi.
tions of the railroads would make
necessary a re examination of the
subject and a readjustment of the
rates.
There are other objections to an
interstate commerce commission,
growing ont of the fullness of its
powers, the disastrous consequen.
ces of its mistakes, and the dan.
gers and temptations incident to
the position of its members but
those will suggest themselves, and
| need not discuss them. 1t is
I enough that such n scheme seems
impracticable, even If clearly con.
stltutional, to lead me to prefer q
simple one whose constitutionality
is beyond dispute.
Judge Reagan, an able and earn
est Congressman from Texas, who
for more than ten years has been
laboring to master this great ones
ton, and has been pressing its i'm
portance upon the attention Ol
Congress and the country, at the
last session secured the passage
of u bill through the lower House
by a vote of 2 to 1 to regulate in
terstate railroad traffic. In advo
eating that measure he expressed
the opinion that "no law fixing
rates of freight could be made to
work with justice either to the
railroads or the public" and the
same conclusion has been reached
by others who have maturely con
sidered the subject from a wholly
|, impartial standpoint.
/ prefer a law which requires
that all freight charges between
all interstate points as to all per
! sons, all distances, and all kinds
, and quantities of freight shall bC
reasonable and provides speedy
] redress in case of violation, ant
, imposes penalty, if the violation
be willful, in any court of compe
, tent jurisdiction, whether State ol
Federal. But there is, | think, M
} longer room for doubt that arbi
D trary rules which are indexible al
J. to long and short hauls. or as t.
] shipments in bulk or small parcels
. are injudicious and dangerous. |
]. seems now almost agreed, at leas
} iu this body, that such iron rule
D are likely TO defeat the object W,
| aim at, the relief and protection
of the people.
!. The objections / have offered t,
a commission under Congressiona
b law do not apply, except perhap
6 in vorv amaiI n,aarura ~ eomnts