Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-03
RAILROAD COMMISSION.
THE BILL UP IN THE HOUSE.

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Mo,icn wsde 70 Give the Geverner the Ap-
pois,usnt OF the Members Of the Beard
speech or Mr.. stribling.
In the House Of Delegates yesterday
at ! o'clock the Speaker announced as
the special order the bill presented by
the Committee on Roads proposing the
repeal Of the present law under which
the Railroad Commissioner Is elected
and acts, and providing for the election
Of a board Of three commissioners with
larger powers and new duties.
The bill having been read through by
the Clerk. Mr.. Munford, the patron Of
the measure from which the committee
shaped its bill, moved that it now be
read section by section, in order that
amendments might be Systematically
disposed of.
Mr. Stribling said that, as chairman
Of the committee, ne would like to
make report Of the reasons that gov
erned them in their action.
Mr.. Mvnford thereupon withdrew his
motion.
REASONS OF THE COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Stfibling said that as chairman
81 the C1mmittee on Roads he thought
/ II propeIihe should at the threshold Of
the discdssion define the position Of the
committee and the views Of its men,
bers. The more the committee con-
sidered the question Of Z" to what ex-
tent it was right and expedient that the
State should assume control Of the
operationsof the railroads OF the State"
the more they were convinced that they
were dealing with complex problem
of rights and political economy, and
the magnitude of the interests involved
loomed up more and more distinctly
before their view.
Some idea Of the magnitude Of the
interests may be formed from the sim
pie statement that there are now more
than 1000 miles Of railroads in the
State, the cost Of construction Of which
was more than 800, 900, the net
earnings Of which are more than
s4,000,00O annually, and these compa-
nies give daily employment to more
than 10000 operatives in the State.
Again Railroads have become necessi-
ties to the people, and the number of
miles Of railroads and the amount of
their freight and passenger business is
the measure of the material pros
perity of the people. To show that
the problem is difficult Of solution,
it is only necessary to say that not only
have several previous Legislatures of
this State but the Legislatures OF all
the States have grappled with this sub
ject. The Congress Of the United States
has done likewise. and the best minds
of every country in Europe have been
wrestling with this question and still
the problem is unsolyed.
The committee, then, in view Of the
magnitude Of the interests involved aud
the complexity of the problem, deemed
it wisest and best to report the bill in
the form in which it has just been read
before the House.
As one who was originally in favor
of the retention of the 18th section Of
the bill, he said that he would support
the bill in the form in which it was re-
ported, with the 18th section stricken
out. lie said if the railroads had come
claiming that all the privileges granted
to railroad corporations by the general
laws of the State formed a part Of the
valuable considerations Of the contract
which the State made with them in
their charters, and that the State was
forever restrained from altering or
amending those laws so far as it affected
what they considered to be their rights,
even though it was apparent that the
people, the natural citizens, were
wronged and defrauded, and that they
were being reduced to the condition Of
hewers of wood and drawers Of water
fJr these corporations. then he for one
would say make haste to assert the
power of the State-make haste to
say to all the people in the name Of the
State, 81 will protect you ~; and to
say to the railroad corporations, " You
are my creatures / made you, and |
am greater than you" But they did
not so come. Fortunately, whilst the
committee had this bill under consider
ton the United States Supreme Court
decided the case Of the Railroads vS. the
Mississippi Railroad Commissioners,
organized like ours is proposed to be,
but with much greater powers. The
decision Of that case determined for
ever the power of the State.
The railroads came to US, then. not
asserting their charter rights, but " to
present their views upon the extent to
which it was wise and expedient for
the State to assert her acknowledged
power" The committee offered
both sides ample opportunity to be
heard, and asked that cases Of unjust
discrimination should lie brought before
them. They asked in vain; not one
single case was substantiated before
them. The delegation from Danyille
that it was advertised would come
loaded down with facts and fig
ures came to the city, but re-
turned without appearing before
the committee. As, therefore, the
committee could obtain no evidence
whatever that the railroads were un-
Justly discriminating, it was the wisdom
OF the committee to grant to the Com
mission the limited powers that appear
in the bill that has been read in your
hearing. The time is brief before the
assembling Of the next General Assem-
bly,, and if the commissioners do their
duty that General Assembly will be in
better position to decide than we are
now. He hoped the bill would be
passed, conferriDg upon the commits
sioners no greater or less powers than
were conferred upon them in the bill as
reported from the committee.
Mr.. wADDILL's AMENDMENT.
Mr.. Waddill moved to amend the
lst section by inserting after the word
1886 the words
".And one Of whom the commission
ersl shall be selected from each politi-
cal party; that is to say, one from the
pan,hI;n.a narty nna from the Dsmo