St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-15
INTERSTATE COMMERCE..
The Greatness of the Sovereignty OF
Trunk Lines.


WASHINGTON, April 14.-In the senate
to-day Senator Jackson's acceptance of the
United States judgeship of the Sixth
district was announced. a memorial from
the wool growers convention held at. St.
Louis complaining of the proposition to
place wool on the free list was presented by
the chairman. Senator Morgan gave notice
that tomorrow at o'clock, at the request
OF the committee on foreign relations, he
would ask the senate TO go into executive
session for the consideration of an import
ant matter. Mr.. Butler then addressed the
senate on the subject Of open executive seS-
sions, claiming that there never was time
when the necessity for the abrogatiOn of
the rules providing for them was so plain as
at present. lie charged the Republican
majority in the senate with interfering with
the constitutional prerogation of the presi-
dent for party purposes and said he wanted
the senate doors wide open when action was
being taken on presidential nominations IN
order that the country might be advised of
the frivilous character of the grounds on
which action was refused on nominations.
His (Ar. Butler's) experience in the senate
convinced him that there was no use and
no necessity for secret sessions except per-
nations. The surest safest and nearest
road to civil service reform, Mr.. Butler
said, was to throw wide open the doors of
the senate for executive as well as legisla-
tive sessions and then to permit by law the
members of the presidents cabinet to come
on the floor of congress from time TO time
and participate in the debates, but
WITHOUT A VOTE
as provided by the bill introduced by Mr..
Pendleton. no other course could so we'll
tend TO the proper understanding of public
questions or the better mutual relations of
the executive aud legislative departments of
the government.
MI. Pendleton submitted as a substitute
for the pending resolution relating to exec
utive session a resolution providing that
''all matters other than those relating to
treaties should be considered and acted
upon by the senate in open session. 1t
was ordered printed.
On motion of Mr.. Blair. the senate took
up the bill reported from the committee on
pensions, ''fOr the relief of soldiers of the
late war, favorably discharged after six
months service. who are disabled and de-
pendent upon their own labor for support
and of dependent parents OF soldiers who
died in the service or from disability con-
tracted therein" Mr.. Blair said the bill
was substantially the same bin that had
been passed by the senate at the last ses-
sion, but had failed in the house. At .
o'clock the matter went over for today.
and the interstate commerce bill was Land
before the senate.
Mr.. Cullom detailed the provisions of the
measure at great length.
Mr.. Palmer said he would vote for the
bill, not because he thought ii all that
HE WOULD APPROVE,
but because it looked in the direction.
Among the servants Of civilization. he said
none approached the railroad i'm efficiency.
Ii had not only made the wilderness bios
som as the rose. but had enabled the rose
to be readily exchanged for the products of
the city. No small task that it had accom-
plished. Ii had reduced the cost of trans
portation of years food from the West TO
the Eastern seaboard to the price of one
days labor.
Mr.. Palmer here entered in considerable
length into the question of railroad history
in the United States as well as in Europe
to show the rapid and extraordinary devel-
opment of railroads and their increasing
tendency 10 concentration.
To-day" said Mr.. Palmer. "half a doz en-
gentlemen in Wall street could get together
and by piece OF financial jugglery. dictate
the profits o: losses Of thousands OF men, and
OF many communities. BY their hat Rochester
was stopped that Minneapolis might thrive.
An but one of the manufacturing establish
ments AT Niagara Falls had been DESTROYED
in order that the one might prosper. All the
capital and labor invested in oil-wells must
be lost in order that one great company
might grow. II was undisputed that bust
ness went in certain directions, not because
those were
THE NATURAL DIRECTIONS
but because the railroad rates were made 20
serve special ends" The most surprising
thing TO Mr.. Palmer was how the business
community sustained itself under sucn con-
ditions. The principles OF law that ought TO
govern the common carrier were habit
ually violated. Special contracts governing
long periods OF time were made every
day with heavy shippers, giving them pract II
cally the control of the market. There was
neither equality, equity. law nor justice in
the present system OF railroad charges. Mr.
Palmer gave a number of instances Of what
he termed unjust discrimination by railroad
companies. including some by and with the
Standard OIL company. Continuing, he said
he did not suppose the appointment OF n COM
mission would bring on the minimum. For
forty years these corporations had been tight
ening their grasp on the people. We were to-
DAY confronted with very great evils in con-
nection with them. We could remedy al the
evils at once, but we would have done our
duty when we should have done our best.