New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-22
NATIONAL CAPITAL TOPICS.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE LEGISLATION

pposPrcrs OF THE CONFERENCE REPORT IN THE
HoUsE-MR. WILSON'S SPEECH IN THE SENATE
WASHINGTON Dec 81 (SpeciaD. While 1t Ii
evident that the views Of many representatives hav'
changed since the Reagan interstate BILL passed the
House at the session. does not seem probable
that the report OF the conference committee WI DC
rejected. few extreme members complain tha'
tho House confcrecs yielded too much and thca'eh "
vote against the report but II IL not likely mat many
Of them viii do Some OF the western neno. ), :
who were among the most earnest supporters Oh '"o
bill now say that they are in doubt as 10 wne'nei
Tho ooasure will not jniurc rather than benefit the
farmers and stock growers OF tho West put that inc
scntn ent their districts b 20 strong In hVor oi
action by Congress that they will DO constrained 70
vote Tor the conference report.
The truth lie that when the bill passed the House
not one man in three understood its provisions or
carol to.
one thing which gives many OF the supporters OF the
conference report considerable unessiness is the sug
gestion that the "long haul and short hau PROVISION
II enforced, will be likely to divert the uansconu-
mental traffic. web as large part OF the grain
and meat traffic from the United States to CANADA
But there seems to be reason to expect that any
or all OF the considerations involved VIII receive
we chit enough to defeat the conference report.
In the Senate to day Mr.. Cullom called up the con-
ference report on the bill, and Mr.. Wilson OF Iowa
thereup0n addressed the Senate In favor OF the adop
ton of the report. He referred to an interview
published In THE TRIBUNE, In which ITesidcnI
King, of the Erie, recommended five boards of COM
mssioners to examine all the questions involved.
That, he said. simply meant delay. The public
demanded action. Nothing, said Mr.. Wilson, had
done moro to demoralze railroad managers officers
and agents than pools. Under the present system
losses on through bus ne,s unloaded on the
business Of the intermediate or local points. This
practice in itself, outrage. AS the bill came
from the House it authorized. by Implication railroad
companies to charge as much for a short as for q
long haul But not under the conference report :;
because t provided that nothing in the bill should
be construed authorizing railroad company to
charge and receive great compensation for short
as for a long distance. The people recognized the
iealthu aid which railroads had given to the develop
ment progress the country but they insisted
Oh the enactment of a law which would aid theII IN
the recovery OF some Of their lost rights They were
willing that tho railroad companies should prosper
and should he reasonably paid for their services;
but they did not recognize them their masters.
rs an illustration of the injustice of the present
system he stated that the 10th of this month corn
was selling in Western Iowa, where II had been
good crop, at .IJm 20 TO 25 cents bushe IN
Chicago at SO bushel and in Southeastern Iowa.
where tho crop had been failure, al 40 TO AZ cents
bushel: so that Western Iowa corn was being SOLD In
Chicago at from to cents bushel less than In
Eastern Iowa.