The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-07
THE FORTY NINTH CONGRESS
The Senate Devotes the Day to Discuss
ing the Interstate Commerce Bill.
The House TransactS Considerable Routine
Business. and Finally Passes the River
and Harbor Appropriation Bill.


Regulate Interstate Commerce.
WASHINGTON, May 6.-The Chair laid before
the Senate message from the President, trans
| uniting letter from the Secretary of the Inter-
or, submitting draft of bill recommended by
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, providing
for payment for improvements made by settlers
on the Mescalero Indian reservation In New
Mexico. Referred.
Mr.. Jones, of Nevada, from the committee on
contingent expenses, reported favorably Mr. Ed
munds's resolution, providing for assistant
clerk for the judiciary committee, for the re-
mainder Of this session at $S a day. The reso-
luton was agreed to.
On motion of Mr.. Sherman, the Senate agreed
that the anti-Chinese immigration bill, and the
bill to indemnify Chinese subjects for losses by
the Rock Springs riots shall be special orders for
Monday. May TO-
On mceion of Mr.. Hoar the Pacific railroad
funding bill was made the special order for
Tuesday May IL.
Mr.. Cullom called up the interstate commerce
bill.
Mr.. Frye called UP the Staten Island bridge
bill.
The Chair stated that the Senate had already
ton of the commerce bill during the morning
hour and throughout the day, from day to day,
until disposed of: The commerce bill was there
fore laid before the Senate.
MIR. Butler opposed the bill.
Mr.. Wilson. OF Iowa, offered amendment
providing that the provision Of the bill against
receiving moro for a shorter than longer haul
should not be construed as authorizing any rail
road company to charge as much for shorter
as for longer haul He did this, he said, to
| - -
bill gave them an implied authority to charge as
much for haul of one hundred miles as for a
haul of one thousand miles.
Mr.. Maxey would vote for the bill as the best
that could now be had.
Mr.. Ingalls, said the long and-short haul clause,
as now amended, was like crowbar thrust into
the works of a watch. The Camden amend
| ment, as Mr.. ingalls, believed was in such abso-
lutte hostility to the interests of the West, that
if the bill becomes law which Mr. ingalls,
thought doubtful, there would never be bushel
Of grain nor pound of beef pork brought
East from Iowa. Kansas or Nebraska Mr.. In
gals said that the Senator from West Virginia
Mr.. Camden] lived on a line of railroad that
was directly interested in the short haul; and
those voting with him were also interested in it.
| The direct effect of the Camden amendment
would be to make the producers OF the
West pay shors-haul rates on every pound
of freight brought to the seaboard. The
Senator from West Virginia Mr.. CamdenI was
| too astute not to know that fact That Senator
had object and purpose in proposing his
amendment. His design was to compel the men
who raised the cereals of the West to pay local
rates all the way to the Seaboard. The Camden
amendment. Mr. Ingalls, said. would absolutely
destroy the commerce OF Kansas, because that
State stood midway between the Atlantic and
Pacific. What, he asked, were railroads for. if
not to cheaper rates for longer distancesg Why
should man living thousand miles from the
sea have the whole value Of his produce con-
sumed in getting it to marketg What difference,
he asked, did it make to the Senator from West
Virginia how much the Western man paid for
his freight? That Senator came here as, Mr..
Ingalls, would not say as the agent, but as the
| instrument of these grasping and overreaching
monopoes, about thing in which he had
concern. The thing in the interest of cor
porarons and against those of the people; and IL
had been offered here because 1t was in the in
terest of corporations. Everybody knew that if
left to the operation of natural la Ts, the eauaz
alton attempted to be secured would be secured
by competition and the extension of railroads.
Mr.. Camden, rising to a personal explanation,
remarked that the Senator from Kansas Mr. In
CALLS in venting his spleen on him Mr.. Camden
did him great injustice. What that Senator had
said about Mr.. Camden's connection with rail
roads was not supported by Oingle fact.
Mr. ingalls, said he had made no statement
about that Senator's connection with railroads.
Mr.. Camden said he had
Mr.. ingalls, appealed to the Record, which, he
said, would show his remarks without alteration.
J..
lars interest in any trunk-line railroad III his
life, and never in any railroad except local
West Virginia road, that could not be affected
by an interstate commerce bill. unless it affected
it adversely. His Mr. Camden's] action had
been for the interest of his constituents and for
| the great body of the people of the country. Mr.
Camden wished to emphasize the fact that he
was not interested in any corporation.
Mr.. Hoar said he could not vote for the long
and-short-haul clause as amended by Mr. Cam
Ia fata for
commerce. Having had the courage. on form
er occasion. to vote for river and harbor bill
under storm of detracton, he would at proper
time move to strike out of the bill this objection
able amendment.
Mr. Allison would prefer bill creating COM
mission, but without this long and-short haul
clause at least for year two. until time and
experience in the working of the commission
should show what was best to be done with the
complicated question. The proposed arrange
ment would, he feared, be very serious en-
barrassment to the commerce of the country,
with Its many ramlfcations. The general pro-
visions of the bill, however met Mr. Alison's
hearty approval. and he expressed the hope that
the Senate would adhere to them.
MIR. Cullom said that, in his opinion, an en-
forcement of the bill, as now amended, would
require that the nearer a person lived to the sea-
board the cheaper he would get his transporta-
ton, and this rule, if rigidly enforced would de-
stroy the commerce OF the West Not only
would 1t hurt the producers of the West but
very seriously also the consumers of the East
He hoped the Senate would reconsider its action
in agreeing to the Camden amendment.
A running debate occurred between Messrs
Blair Call. Browne, Vance, Plat, Hoar, McMil-
lin, Kenna, Aldrch and Cole. The latter said
he would vote for the bill as amended, not be-
cause it was the best that could be cot. but be-
cause it was probably the best that could be GO.
through the Senate at this time He preferred the
Reagan BILL and he hoped that that bill would,
at the proper time, be substituted for this one.
He was unquali6edly in favor CT Mr.. Camden's
amendment. One serious defect of this bill.
however. was that it did not regulate pooling"
1t was the pooling system and it's discrimna-
ton in favor of the long haul that kept station
airy the business of New Orleans, Galveston,
Charleston and Savannah. where business would