Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-19
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
synopsis of the Report OF the Select SEN
nte Committee.

hAe Sonmtttes.
WAsHINGroN, JAN ls.--The report OF the
select committee Of the senate upon interstate
railroad transportation to accompany the Cul
Ion Interstate commerce bill introduced to day
forms aprinted volume of PIG pages, II rays
the outlook is not GOOD for the United states to
ship brcAdstufs In unlimited quantities
throughout the civilized world, and the princi
pal markets for both bread and meats must
henceforth be sought at homo. In It's discus.
sion OF the power OF congress TO regulate
commerce the committee reviews eNhaustively
the declarations OF the United States supreme
court on the subject OF the judicial construction
OF the word CONNER Q. IL says, by the court OF
last resort, II 10 apparent that Il has very wide
meaning as employed In the constitution, and
that IL includes not only intercourse and trhnic,
but as well the subject matter of intercourse
and traffic, and also the channels through which
snd the agencies by when such intercourse
and uaiilc Eiay be carried on. Railroads,
the Committee declares, rre everywhere rccog-
nized as common car lers, and as such, are
held iiable In the courts for the performance OF
such duties as devoyo upon common carriers
under the law No common carrier has RICH
under the comm II lawto discriminate between
persons or places, or 81 q pre- ierrnec N any
manner The theory OF The common law Is
that all who are situated alikc must be treated
alike. Unjus discrimination Is the chief
cause OF complaint again / the management oi
railways In The conduct OF business, ana
81 es rise 70 much of the pressure
upon congress for regulating limitation. Rail.
rond companies donOt recognize us they should
the TACT that ttey sustain dihereut rola.
ton TO the pnbiic IL m persons engaged In
ordinary business ent rprlses Railroad com
pnnies q not disposed TO regard themselves
as holding public Office and bound 70 the
public Us expressed N the ancient law.
/ Nh " do not dead with each citizen alike
They discriminate between persons and lie.
! tweea places, ana the state aud congress are
cons quently called on SO In some way enforce
4 the plain priDcpeao Of the common law for the
protection Of peopin ngainst the unlawful con
/ duet OF common carriers. on carrying on the
commerce OF the coantry the railroad corpora.
/ lions necessarily rNl} ON b2e sam obligations
- deal fairly "a a,a ABLY With M as rilxeae.
without fnVoffsih ior discrlnlnatlou, ia tnu
Estate itself, The report also says that there Vs.
4 no occasion 10 consider the necessity OF a con
| stitutlOna amendment for tho re tulaiion OF
! transportation untl IL has been demonstrated
| by congress cannot be exercised effectively.
| The subject OF competition betws en- water
ways and railroads ID discussed briefly and the
| conclusion Is RI ched tuat waterway are he
most effective regulators of raj charges.
and emancipation % the waters Is national
necessity. The mprovcm, mt, the Mississippi
and It's tributaries Is brien alluded to
and warmly Endorsed. OF the uenncpin
canal the committee says that the commerce OF
the nation would derive fresh and continued
advantage from the construction Of this canal.
Cheap transportation between Chicago and The
seaboards, the report says, Is assured by line
Il water communication open through the
| no method has been suggest d by which the
controlling influence OF thP wafer competition
cOul' be extended over so ,,ide, popuouB and
| productive a territory Mt the same moderate
| expenses as by The construction Of this short
| canal Of seventy four mi es, which would give
| TO the people II the upper Mises-ip
states direct water connection with all The
! states of the Atlantic seabOard and with Eu-
! rope. The necessity Of this improvement Is
made more urgent by the high and oppressive
| rates of freight prevailing betw en- the grain.
| producing states or the Northwest and Chicago
as compared with the charges made between
( that ely and the Atlantic coast. by the con-
| sruction OF this canal these charges would be
materially reduced and the grain producing
states would be given that cheap
Tansit which has now become necessary 10 en-.
abb them successfully TO place their surplus
/ products In "a foreign market. The committee
! formulates In conclusion its reasons nccompa.
| nylng each with arguments and citations, TO
snow the ground uron which they are founded
| as follows:
The public interests demand regulation OF
| the business Of transportation because In the alb
| sence Of such regulation the Gu rier IL pracu.
| cally and ctuully the sole AM 1nal arbitra or
upon all dspnted questions that orlse between
| the shipper anu carrier as 10 whether rates are
rrasonab or unjust discrimination has been
:. its the duty OF congress to undertake the
| regulation OF the business OF anspVTtatlon
! because OF the admit ed abuses In it, man ,ge
| met, and OF the acknowl.dg, d discrimination
| between persons and places In its pra IDEAL
operations. evil which IL Is possible TO reach
/ anu fcmtu3 OulJ tuTDuRn TIE tAfItlht VI tHt
powers granted 10y the constitution 70 congress,
and against which the citizens are entitled D.
that protection which national authority alone
| can afford,
| Q. National legislation IL necessary TO remedy
| the evils complained OF because the peratlons
| OF the transportation system are for tho M ost
part beyond the Jurisdiction of states until COIL
| gress acts.
| Nat onal legislation is also necessary be-
caute the bushes OF TRANSPORTATION T. essen-
tally OF na ure when requires that uniform
| system and method OF regulation which nation
| ~ authority can alone pr, scribe
3. The failure Of congress TO act IL an excuse
| for htte pts made by railroads. to regulate the
commerce OF the untry In their own Nay. and
Ia their own Int rest, by whatever combinations
and methods they are able TO pug into 'pera-
ton
That prob en- OF such magnitude, i'm
portance and intricacy can be summA, lily solv,
bY any master SIR Ike OF legislative wisdom IL,
the committee says, beyondt bounds II rea
sOnabls belief. That the railroa >, unAided
o I'm, ee,Taineu, can or VIII event
nally work out its solutiop seems
highly improbable, Judging from past ex
perlence, and IL cannot reasonably be expected
That satisfactory solution OF the problem can
ever be secured without the aid OF wise glsla-
tion The COMMITTEES decares that publicity is
the best remedy for unjust discriminate IN and
re, ommends the posting VI rates under tho
direction OF commission.
The concluding chhp,cf embodics recon-
mendau n the establishment OF o national
committee recommends.
A Receiver Qualities.