The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-05-22

Legislature was invariably entrusted
with the management of all railroad leg
islation desired by our people. l would
like to give our readers a brief record Of
the legislation l have secured and
attempted to secure on railroad affair:
while in the Legislature. In 1885, ]
introduced the bill, which passed to
require railroads to settle with consignees
according to the bill of lading instead ol
requiring them to pay overcharges and
await tic slow process of securing cor
rection Of the errors. The Supreme
Court decided that this Act only applied
to bills of lading given by the delivering
road aud in 1887 and in 1888 l intro.
duced bill to make all common carriers
settle according to the bill Of lading on
which they receive freight either from
individuals OF other carriers. This bill
passed the Senate: journal, 1887, pages
42, ITO, 110, 1858, pages 40, 100, 129, J
but failed in the House.
"The same year l introduced bill,
journal, pages 43, 100, 1907 to require
railroads to keep open an office with
some officer authorized to act for them
in this State, which passed the Senate,
but failed in the House. It was intend:
ed to avoid the delays in aelion occa'
sioued by having to deal with an officer
in another State. Also the same year q
bill 10 prevent railroad consultations
without the consent of the General As
sembly, and the same bill again in 1888,
journal, 1888, pages SO, 1S7 and 2O5, J
which passed the Senate both years, but
failed in the House. l introduced the
section of the railroad law requiring rail
roads to maintain two waiting ROOMS at
regular stations. In addition to this l
put into the Act of 1888, taking away
the power of the commission to Tx
freight rates, u section which reduced the
rate of passenger fares on the railroads Of
this State, (Act, 1883, page 1885, so that
roads earning over 81 200 per mile could
only charge three cents per mile for first.
class passage, those between 81 200 and
500 per mile three and half cents, and
those under 500 four cents. Under this
section fares on tie Columbia and Green
Vile Railroad were reduced from five
cents to three and half cents per mile.
In 1854, when l was not member Of the
Legislature, this provision was amended
so as to raise the rate of passage about
half a cent mile On several roads in
Guiding the Columbia and Greenville
Railroad.
"In 1889 I introduced and passed
through the Senate bill to require the
Columbia & Greenville Railroad to
bridge the entire width of Main and
McDuflie streets over their cut in the
city of Anderson and it passed the
House. and one of the bridges has been
erected, covering space of one hundred
feet and adding greatly to the conven-
ience and appearance of the city. Also
a bill to require the railroads in Ander.
son to erect and maintain a union pas
senger depot in Anderson. Also a bill
to require all roads running more than
fifty miles to run, at least, one passenger
train each way daily without freight cars
attached. These two last bills passed the
Senate, but failed in the House.
'It will thus be seen that my course in
the Legislature upon railroad matters
was all along in the interest of my con.
stituents as / believed. You will, of
course, understand that in speaking thus
ofmyself | have done so in order to give
the public the facts as to my attitude on
railroad legislation. I am sorry to have
tresspassed so much on your space, but it
strikes me that Democrat was striking
at me for political reasons, and want
him to have the full benefit of all the
facts. believe in criticism of public
men when their acts deserve it, but in
common honesty criticism should not de-
generate into misrepresentation. !"