Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-04-20
cAMDEN's AMENDMENT TO THE BILL.

ceive to be its most important feature, an
as / have proposed an amendment whic
materially affects lis general application,
prefer to Introduce it into the general dil
cussion now in order that it may have il
share of consideration along with the pre-
visions of The bill as a whole.
The committee appointed by the Senst
to investigate and report upon the subjec
Of inter state commerce has performed it
duty lsboriously and with marked ability
and has submitted with its report larg
amount Of most interesting and useful in
form alton upon this important subject.
There is no longer any doubt that tht
interests OF commerce and the demands o
the country require effective legislation t,
equalize aud regulate transportation. Pub
lie opinion os well as the railroads them
selves have made marked progress in thi
direction in the past few years. The repor
Of the committee only echoes the slmos
unanimous sentiment upon this subjsc
when it says-I quote from page Us ofrc
port:
1t is the deliberate Judgment of the
committee that upon no public question
are the people 80 nearly unanimous as
upon the proposition that Congress should
undertake in some way the regulation ot
interstate commerce. 0mitting those who
speak for the railroad interests, there is
practically no difference OF opinion as to
he necessity and Importance of such &C.
ton by Congress, and this is fully substsn.
tisted by the testimony accompanying this
report. which is fair consensus of public
sentiment upon the question. The COM
mittee has found among the leading req
resentatives OF the railr Jad interests gu in
creasing readiness to accept the aid Of
Congress in working ont the solution Of
The railroad problem which has obs,inately
bsfled ell theiiF. eferts, and. not d, ,6sX.AI
seem disposed to look to the Intervention
OF Congress as promising to afford the best
means Of ultimately securing q
more equitable and satisfactory ad'
ius,ment of the relations OF the
transportation interests to the community
than they themselves have teen able to
bring about
The evidence upon this point ia 20 coL.
elusive that the committee has no hesitt
lion in declaring that prompt action by
Congress upon this important SUI jeCt is a.
most unanimously demanded by public
sentiment"
| assume. ,hereioro, that there is no
longer much difF-renca OF opinion upon the
Sisdom and necessity of Congress passing
A bill to regulate Interstate commerce,
and, in my judgment, the committee bas
submitted with its report q bill which, in
its features, will II eet the approbllion Of
he country.
The methods tor carrying on and en-.
forcing the provisions OF the bill by Great.
ing
4 GOVERNMENT BUREAU
in the Interior Dspsr' m ;ut for that pur
pose will, think, he reg g,r6ed with psrtic'
ular favor for the reason thai it estabIishff
tribunal under the control Of the Govern
meut TO enforce its prCvai)ns without cos
| to individual shippers. No matter how
wise and efficient sny law for this purpo.t
may be in its provisions, it its execution
depsnds upon the Efforts Of IN iivduals Il
enforce it many violation would be sub
ni,red 10 ratt er than incur the expent'
and troub'e OF tesking redress in th'
courts.
But Mr.. President, j! is not my ohjec
% discuss the general lea uTes Of the bill
that has alrtsty occupied the attention o
the Senate. Ny object lie to call the al
tention of lie Sena'e to tie fourth rectiol
of the bill as reported by the committee
and 10 urge The adoption o. the an END
nent proposed bv me to tlat section.
will ask the Seer stary to report
THE AMENDMENT.
Tne Chief Clerk read as follows:
Strike out all of section from the frt
to the eighteenth ines, il elusive, aud IL
sert in lieu thereci:
"Sec. 4. That it shall be unlawful fc
any common csrrier, as provided iu th
6rst section Of this sct, TO charge or r
ceive any greater compe nsltioR for sim
lar amount aud kind OF properly Tor carr.
ing, receiving steripg, Forwarding,
handling the same, for shorter than for
longer distance, which incl ide5 the short'
distance on. any one railroad
J and the road Of corporate
J shall include all the road
use BY such corporstiou, whether owned
operated by it under Contract, or sgre
ment, or lease BY such corp oration."
Mr.. Csmden.-The ( urth section 81
e now stands in the bill is ss follows:
Sec. 4. That it stall be unlawful 4
any common carrier to charge or recei'
any greater compensation 10 the sggregs
, for the transportation Of passengers
property subject 10 the provisions Of Il
act for shorter than ioE longer distsn
over the same line, in the ssme directio
sni from the Eams original point Ct
psrture; FrOridei, hoioersT, That up
application to the commission appoint
. under the provisions Of this act, such col
mon carrier may, in special cases, be q
: thorized TO charge les, for longer tn
for shorter distances for the transportsti
;. OF passengers or property; and the CO
, mission may from tine to time make q
eral rules covering exceptions to sny 81
:. common carrier. In eIses where there
:. competition BY river, sea, canal, or Ia
exemp.ing such desigpsted common c
!. rier in snch special cases from the ope
!. ton Of this section of this act; aud VT
d such exception shall have been made 8
published they shall have Ike force q
effect as though the same had been sp:
Ged in this section.
be ANY common carrier SAo shall Vicl
III the provisions Of this section Of this
r shall be deemed guilty of extortion, I
ID shsll be liable to the person or pers
of against whom any such excessive cha
es was made for all damages occasioned
2. such violation"
The provision contained in the sect