The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-05-27
Tie Tntaratato Commerce Rnll

/ The bill to regulate commerce, known as the
| Cullom bill amendnd and passed by the
Senate. provides for a commission OF five per
sons, to be appointed by the President by and
| with the advice and conseat OF the Senate, to
i carry out the purposes OF the bill The pfn-
cipal office OF the commission is TO be at wash
| ington where general sessions are to be held
| but special sessions may be held elsewhere to
| suit the public convenience, in which case the
necessary expenses incurred are TO be paid
| from the treasury. Not more than three OF the
/ FIVE commissioners shall be appointed from the
| same political party. All parties holding
| stocks OF bonds of any common carrier. OF
/ holding official relations TO such corporations
| are declared ineligible for appointment. The
| commission is given authority to inquire inte
the business and management OF OIL common
| carriers subject to the provisions OF the bill
/ and TO obtain full and complete Information
IN ~ t s1si ana the r,st..ee
| ton Of all books. papers, agreements, tariffs
| and documents relating to any matter under
! investigations ana may TO that end invoke the
| aid Of the United states courts
| Persons having complaints to make against
| any common carrier (of interstate eommerce)
shall make complaints in writing to the COM
| plant 10 the common carrier and require
| either satisfaction of the complaint oran an
swer i'll writing withina reasonable time spec
| time stated the commission shall investigate
/ the complaint. The commission shall inVes-
! tigate all complaints forwarded TO it by state
| commissions. and may institute inquiries on
! its own motion. Complaints Shall not be dis
missed because OF the absence of direct dam
age to the complaint. The reports OF the com
| mission shall be i'll writing, and it's findings
| shall be deemed prlma fac1e evidence i'll all
| judicial proceedings
| Whenever any common carrier shall refuse
| to obey any lawful order of the commission
| it is made the duty of the commission to apply
| to the United States Circuit Court sitting in
! equity, alleging the violation, and the court
| shall hear and determine the matter on short
| notice, and without the formal proceedings of
ordinary suits, but so rs to do justice, and the
| court may in proper cases issue writs of in
| Junction, or other process, mandatory or other
| wise, to restrain further violation of the orders
| of the commission on the part of the common
carrier offending. For such purposes the Cir
| cult Courts shall be deemed always in session.
| The bill requires that all charges for any SER
| vice in Transporting passe gers or freights, or
storing goods by common carriers, shall be
reasonable it prohibits all rebates and draw
| backs, and all unjust drawbacks, and all I'M
| lust Discrimination requiring that all persons
| shall be charged and Treated alike for services
rendered under substantially similar circum-
stances and conditions Every common car
after ii becomes a law, file with the commits
sion copies OF all its tariffs of fares and freight,
including its classification and terminal
| charges, and Shall make them public, 50 far as
the commission may deem practicable. No adj
vance on such pualiSh"d rates shall be made
without ten days Pui5ii notice.
THE LONG AND SHORT HAUL.
1.-THE long and sh.ri ll,ul clause, being Sec
tons of the hill, re Il IS follows:
'sThat ii shall he unlawful for any common
carrier to charge CT receive greater compen
sation in the aggregate for the transportation
of passengers, or OF the like class and quantity
OF property So 81 to the provisions of this
| the same line, iii tho same direction and from
the same original point of departure. or the
same point of arrival. but this shall not be
construed as authorizing any common carrier
within the terms of this act to charge and re
ceive as great com penSatiOn for a shorter as for
q longer distance, provided, however, that
upon application to the commission appointed
under the provisions of this act such common
carrier may in special cases be authorized to
charge less for longer than for shorter dis
tances for the transportation OF passengers or
property, and the comm isSion may from time
to time make general rules eXempting such
designated common carrier in such special
cases from We operation q TINS act, ana wnen
published they shall, until changed by the
commission By law, have like force and
effect as though the same had been specifed in
this section Any common carrier who shall
violate The provisions Of this section shall be
deemed guilty Of extortion and shall be liable
to the person or persons against whom any
such excessive charge was made for all DANA :
ges occasioned by such violation.
The bill now goes TO the House of represent
atives for concurrence"