Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-02-10
THE NEW RAILROAD BILL.

House of Delegates Committee is quite
voluminous. 1t is long step in the right
direction, and while the known integrity
and talent of the Chairman of that Com
mittee, Mr.. Dabney-who has given the
subject great study and thought and gives
this bill his approval--renders one little
nervous in criticlSing it, still the subject
is so important that word or two in re-
ference to it may not be out of taste or
inappropriate.
The bill has some good features which
the Hay bill did not have. One Of these
is in the number and mode of appoint
ment Of the Commission. The Hay bill
proposed only one Commissioner. This
was Objectionable for several reasons-1st.
In case of his sickness, or necessary abb
sence from his Office, the wheels of pro-
gress would be necessarily Dlocked-three
Comm ssioners obyiates that trouble
I'd. The danger of unfair influences
brought to bear would be less-imposing on
three instead of one. Now as to the mode
of compensation, the Hay bill required
the Commonwealth to pay the salary. The
Committee, or Dabney, bill assesses the
salaries Of the commissioners, clerk. Office
rent, &C., upon the different railroads IN
proportion to their gross receipts and col
lects these assessments as taxes. Now
this seems eminently fair. If the railroads
had so conducted their business as that
no legislation On this subject would have
been necessary-as they ought to have
done-then there would have been no
charge upon them; but if they 30 act as
to require legislation and police regula-
tions to keep them in the straight path
they should pay for i.-this is in accord
arce with both justice and law.
So far, the bill is ali that could be re-
quired and its general aim and object is
fair ard right. II seems to be cropping
after plan to protect the shipper-wlth-
out laying too hard hand on the carrier
and just here, in our opinion, it fails of
it's proper force. LII the first place this
effort renders 1t entirely too verbose and
cumbersome. 1t will take quite an intel
llSCaS ioiAO1 VI oulPpOl W HLo ouU uuotl
this bill how be is hurt, and a more intelli-
gent one to find out the section that gives
him lis remedy; though we admit that
with much labor and good deal of red
tape, he will he placed upon a much better
plane than he now occupies. Our hope is
that an intelligent Commission under this
bill will have so mastered the subject by
the meeting of another legislature, as will
enable it to lay before that body such data
as will enable it to frame bill that will
meet all the requirements and do justice
to both the railroad and the shipper.
This is not a new question. If it were
we would approach it more gingerly; but
the way has been broadly blazed by legis-
in those States has not been such as to
show that good stiff backed legislation
will hart the railroads. In Georgia, for
instance, where the legislation has been
more northumberland than in any other
State, and where under that legislation,
the commission appointed, reduced the
rates on local trafic from so to SO per
cent, the railroad reports show return of
from y to IA per cent, and the fact is
that Instead of stopping railroad growth,
the growth Of railroads in that State since
this legislation, is greater than at any
time since the war, or before it. Now in
Georgia the law goes to this extent: 1t
authorizes and requires the commission to
fix set of rates for all kinds of freights,
and to publish said list in the OFFICES and
depots of the roads and in certain papers
published at different sections of the State.
1t declares any charge greater than a fair
and reasonable charge, shall be extortion.
and punishable 10y fine frop one to five
Thousand dollars, and on the trial for ex'
tortion. it makes these commission rate
schedules evidence Of what is fair and
reasonable charge. Besides this, it gives
the party injured bis remedy in damages
against the road and makes the apoye
schedule the measure of fair compensation
to ths ROAD. Now, even under such law
as this, railroadlrg ia Georgia has -four
ished and is Gonrishing today in greater
degrees than ever before, even though, and
in fact, because, the rates are lowered 80
to 80 per cent, because low rates make full
cars and full cars make paying trains.
Again, in Alabama where the growth
in railroads has been phenomenal, the law
is neatly the same as in Georgia, with this
difference -Wiieh seem to us fair and just
bbat the schedule rates azed by the Com
missioner shall only be taken as prina
facie evidence OF what is a just and rea-
sonable charge in any trial Of extortion.
and the burden of proof is thrown upon the
road making greater charge in that in.