Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-21

still they pay something. otbefwise
they would not be given. But In these
cases the people and the compan a.
deal At arms length, as the people deal
with each other. The people were NOT
bound to 90 to the exposition. but
might 90 or not, as the price made Il.
to their advantage or not, and it waste
the advantage Of the railroad com.
panies TO induce them TO 90. self
interest, as usual, controlling both par
ties. But we never heard Of a reduc.
ton corresponding to excursion rates
being given for produce which is
bound to go by a particular route. In
the winter, when cotton bales, where l
live, are piled up at the stations for
transportation to market, no reduced
rates are offered to the shippers. The
companies have no interest in making
such an offer. They know the cotton
must go; the shippers interest being to
ship it at the rate charged, high or low,
rather than keep 1t. 1t must go to
market, it must 90 by rail, and the
shipper must pay the charges, whatever
they may be. The charges are not al
ways unreasonable, though the shipper
is not consulted. Sometimes they are
moderate enough, but sometimes they
are not, and always they are liable to
be unreasonable, the interest of one
party being to make them so and the
other powerless to resist. 1t being
possible for them to be always unrea-
sonable is, with me, reason enough for
putting limits on the exercise of a
dangerous power in the hand of ST. ong
institutions which are rapidly extend
ing and expanding and every day
growing in influence and wealth.
Ii the people had all the power and
the railroad companies none, if they
could dictate the terms on which the
companies should serve them, the
necessity would be no less in that east
than now to curb the tendencies of
self-interest.
Is a corporation likely to be more
liberal and considerate than an indi-
vidual would be in like circumstances?
l will not say that no man can be found
so just that he would work for US or sell
to us as cheap if he knew we were
compelled to have his labor or his prop.
erty as If he knew we could supply
ourselves elsewhere entirely indepen-
dent of him. Such men may have
lived, and possibly do now, but it is
not for such as these that laws are
needed or are made.
But no sane man believes that there
is a railroad or other corporation in
existence which ever processes to act
up to so sanity a standard in its bust
ness, and no more do l think the peo.
pie would ii AL the power were in their
hands. Those who make the laws for
the government Of the people should
see to 1t that the power of supervision
and control to which l have referred
should be lodged somewhere so that it
may be exercised for the security of
Cue peopIe against WI nys, whether eX-
listing now or threatened, or wen pos
sibie. According to the Interpretation
OF the Constitution which is generally,
though not universally, accepted at
this day, the States are powerless to
afford protection which will he at once
substantial and adequate. Their rail
roads are parts or ap~pendages of
great trunk lines over which their
business in large part is con.
Quoted. Much of their traffic is
with other States, and the Constitution
gives the power not to them but to
Congress to regulate commerce among
the States. Take my own State for ex.
ample, and it is not singular in this
regard. The railroads in Mississippi. ex.
cept one or two very short lines, are all
Interstate roads, running in other
States as well as that, or are branches
or connections of such as do so run.
over which traffic passes between the
States.