The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-05-29
business proposed to be regulated,
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With many the favorlte mode
eems to be through arf Interstate
commission; but to my
mind there are grave objections to |
such a commission. Congress acts
,niy under delegated powers; and
narrowly described and limited as to
leave tne commission no discretion
AIRY authority In any matter where
lts action would 90 hnal; but they
would leave the commission no field
FOR any usefui work. Does any Sena-
tor feel SAFE IN announcing that Con-
gress can confer on commission
the power 10 regulate the rates OF
transportation SO as to bind the rail
road companies? And II 1T can be ap-
pointed. lnefe ore more than fifteen
hundren railroads IN the United
States, stretchlny over about 100000
miles OF territory. Some OF them cost
mlillons TO construct single mile,
and, by comparison, some were built
for lnconslderabls sums, and the cost
OF none OF them is the true test OF
their present value;
some run through densely popula-
and some trouob those WHAT, ara
snorsIW @ settlad wbaro Tho nonn1a onJ
tba sn;, ave moor alba T TrainS an
some run every nfteen minutes IN
the gay anu ON otners they run trio
weekly. Az intervals OF ABOUT ~
miles or less, upon tne average, Oh
from which goods NAV he shinnad to
nthar roads IN the T1H;on which are
not nnrelv local lines, These shin
wants @ varv in value in tho d;ff,cnltv
Of handling them. in the necessity
for Snaedv fransnortation and nrom nt
delivery. and in the measure of res
nonsibiIitv for loss. damage. or delay.
Thav NAV consist Of coal Worth S4(I a
oarI0ad ~ silks or laces worth thons-
onis nf dollars q case with hundrds
of cases in h car They NAV consist
of ice or livestock. or fruits. which
must 90 through with sneed, or Ium-
her or brick which would neither
waste nor perish by delay. The va
rietv ~ Of freights is endless. and so it
is R tTe variety Of the questions which
the commission must al affecting the
rights of hundred of railroads and
millions of people, before it could ar
riva at a tariff Of charges which the
commission itself would say is even
annroximately lust to shipper or car
rier % How long would it take the com
n,i..ion to nerform even imperfectly
the dntv of gathering the necessary
data on Which to proceed adyisedlv,
and then Determining, on the material
collected what rates would be rea-
sonable on all the "interstate" roads
in the Union? So long, | venture to
cav that before the COMPLETION of the
@ work the changes in business in this
active aee and in the conditions of
no % railroods would make necessary a
Determination ~ of the subject and a
readiustment of the rates.
There are other objections to an in.
terstate-commerce commission,grow
ing out of the fulness of its powers
the disastrous consequences of its
mistakes, and the dangers and temp
UatlOllS liiclueHV W. Vho PVs,,,,'oi vi -''
members; but those will sugge:s
themselves, and l need not now dis
cuss them. 1t is enough that such
scheme seems impracticable, even j
clearly constitutional, to lead me t.
prefer simple one whose constitu
ttionality is beyond dispute.
Judge Reagan, an able and earhes
Congressman from Texas, who fol
more than ten years has been laborins
to master this great question, and has
been pressing its Importance upon thu
attention of Congress and the coun
trv, at the last session secured th'
passage of bill through the lowe
House by vote of to to regulate
Interstate railroad traffic. In advo
! eating that measure he expressed tn
oninion that "no law fixing rates Q ,
freight could be made to work will
: justice either to the railroads or !, In n
l public,n and the same conclusion Ia Id
/ been reached by Others who haye ma
f turely considered the subject from
wholly impartial standpoint. 10 m