National Republican., 1888-03-04
BREAKING THE COMBINATION
THE HOUSE PASSES THE PACIFIC RAIL-
ROAD TELEGRAPH BILL.
Only Four Members oppose the Meas
ure-It Looks as Though the Rail-
road wouid Have to Operate Its own
Lines for the Public Good.


House yesterday reports from the first
comptroller and commissioner of customs
upon claims arising under the eight-hour
law.
Henry C. Seymour, successor TO Seth c..
Mofiatt, of Michigan, deceased, appeared
before the bar of the House and took the
oath of office.
Mr.. Bacon, of New York, chairman of
the committee on manufactures, offered a
resolution authorizing an expenditure of
5000 by that committee in the conduct of
the investigation into the subject of trusts.
Adopted.
Mr.. Lind, of Minnesota asked unani-
nous consent TO consider private relief
bill.
Mr.. Bland, of Missouri, then made one
of his characteristic speeches, in which he
berated the House for appropriating
money to pay. honest claimants and the
| House straightway showed Mr. Bland
how much 1t thought of his advice by
passing the bill.
On motion of Mr. Dibble, of South Caro-
lima, bill was passed appropriating $75,-
900 for the construction of revenue
cutter for use at Charleston, s. C.
Mr.. Steele, of Indiana, from the COM
mittee on military affairs, reported the
| bill to increase the efficiency of the line of
the army. House calendar.
| Mr.. Dargan, of South Carolina, from the
committee on banking and currency, re-
ported the bill authorizing the issue of
fractional silver certificates. Committee
of the whole.
Mr.. Grain, of Texas from the committee
on the election of President and Vice
President, reported back his joint resolu-
ton proposing constitutional amend
ments, changing the time for the COM
mencement of the presidential term, and
changing the date for the annual meeting
of Congress. House calendar.
The House then resumed, as the special
ORDER the consideration of the Pacific
railroad telegraph bill.
Mr.. White, of New York, took the floor
in opposition to the measure. Hethought
that all remedial legislation should make
the punishment fit the crime" and that
before numbering up the statutes with
voluminous enactments legislators should
assure themselves that those enactments
would have the desired cftsSSct. Tins bill
afforded the GOV vrnment no new remedy.
There was buncombe in it, but there was
no legislation in it. If abuses there were
in the management of the Pacific tele-
graph lines the existing laws afforded
complete, adequate, and speedy remedy
He then proceeded with legal argu-
ment, in which he contended that under
the terms of the contract between the
Union Pacific Company and the Western
Union Company vested right had been
created which could not under the de-
cision of the Supreme Court in the sink
ing fund case, be interfered with by con-
gressional action. He wished, he said, to
present some statistics in regard to the
Western Union Telegraph Company-this
ogre, this Octdpus gigdnticuS, this devil fish
| Ix.rNt tnh hnl hnn h,.n,, ,,..l. l,r,. al L
the House for condemnation for having
preyed upon the blood of the country and
sapped its vitals. These statistics covered
twenty years, and showed that while in
1867 the Western Union had wires enough
to go three times round the globe and
made an average charge per message of
$lO4,i in 1887 its wires could encircle
the world twenty-one times, and
the average rate per message was
80 cents. No other country, he said en-
joyed such facilities for telegraphing. As
to cost the figures showed that telegraphy
was really cheaper here than in Europe
The minimum rate in England for $50
miles was SO cents for twenty-five Words
the rate from Jacksonville, Fla, to Ore
gon-the longest distance in this country
was $1.21 for ten words of message and
the entire address and signature.
Mr.. Belden, of New York, asked why it
was that a higher rate was charged be-
tween Washington and Cortland, N Y,
than to Syracuse, a more distant point.
Mr.. White replied that that was mat
ter of interstate commerce.
Mr.. Belden replied that the fact was
that the Western Union raised rates within
week after opposition ceased.
Mr.. White said that he had statistics at
hand to answer for him, and upon them
he was willing to rest. In conclusion he
said that he was here to protest against
anarchic and communistic legislation,
which would seek to legislate away the
, property of man acquired honorably
J and honestly under the forms of law.
; Mr.. Symes, of Colorado said that the
purpose of the bill was merely to compel
the subsidized railroads to comply with
the conditions and provisions of the grants
creating them. The contracts between
the Union and Central Pacific Rail-
J road Companies were void db initio and
no lawyer in America knew 1t better than
the gentleman from New York (Mr. White)
They were at the time they were made
and they still were, in direct violation OF
the express provisions of the statutes and
the grants creating the Pacific Railroad
and Telegraph Companies, and were in
violation of public policy and against pub.
lie law.
There were numerous authorities to
show that all pooling contracts, with cer-
tain limitations, were void, and no con.
tract could be enforced if its conditions
were against the general good. The con-
4 tracts under consideration had been made
with the object and intention of defeating
every substantial requirement of the
grants. After Jay Gould and his ring had
3 conducted the Union Pacific as long as
f he could make anything out of it he had
walked off, leaving the company bank.
rupt, and taking with him among the
assets, the telegraph lines, with which he
levied discriminating tributes from the
people west of the Missouri river.
5 Mr.. Dockery, Of Missouri, said that un.
! der the granting acts the Pacific compa.
nies were required to construct not only
a., railroad lines but also telegraph line
Instead of doing so they had assumed to
j., divcst themselves of their obligations by
, contract with the Western Union Tele.
. graph Company, comforting upon that
company the exclusive right of way along
, the railroad lines. The acts of Congress
requiring that the telegraph lines along
the Pacific railroads should receive al
business without discrimination were nul.
lifted by this unlawful contract with the
, Western Union Company.
. Upon these unlawful contracts the
gentleman from New York (Mr. White
had erected superstructure of vested
rights. The very language of the contracts
. showed that the railroad companies knew
, that they had no right TO enter into them
i He did not share in the unreasoning pre-.
i judices which were manifested in some
: quarters against corporations. But the
, people had rights which corporations
must respect. The danger to corporations
/ lay in their disposition TO oyerleap the
, confines of statute laws and set at defiance
q the will of the people,
i Vaulting ambition was liable to over
q leap itself, and JAY Gould had better take
\ cognizance of that fact. The people hat
: rights, and if trod upon might 60 to ex
I tremes. The people of the United States
. were patient, but their representative,
upon this floor without party distinction
had, thus fas in the conduct Of this debate
manifested a disposition to put bit ant
& bride on further encroachments of tn,
: | WeStern Union Gnmnany Law Gnnll