Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-18

report. l vent before the railroad CON
nittee At this session, - I did last. viii
Ehas considered . reasonable bill, q BIZ
which no man except Is vas . railroad at
.o.ney has said tut that j. vas conservative
aud fair to the railroads. | do not know
Why We shouid not hare Impartial censid
Grafton ia this matter which 10 Of the great
ess Importance. Tns bill emboaies swu
features. The first is in regard /, reSulssiol
Of rates znd provides for an arb;tsry Yegu.
iation of two cents mile for mileage ,icksl
for loco miles, and also the provision oil
8 cts. mile for local passenger traffic. II
does not interfere with the ANAL roads
II only interferes with the Boston and
Maine, the Maine CeatrAl. the Portlani
and Rochester and the Grand Trunk roads.
l. will be long day before it will adec,
any ether road IN this State. and today i,
does NOS affect the Boston Add Maine for
they have come % the terms of this bill !;
and it is practically confined 70 the Maine
Central, Portland and Rochester and Grand
Trunk. With reference to this rate Of 2
| CTS. a mile ! have to say that with
the Boston and Maine On the West
issuing its 1000 mile tickets at cts.
and the Canadian Pacific on the
East With its New Brunswick branch
Issuing the same ticket Ut two cents a mile,
il seems strange to the people through the
Kennebec Valley, with thi. growing and
prosperous country, that We should be pay
ing the same rates for passenger traffic
they were ten. fifteen ard tssnty years
ago. admit there are q few changes,
affecting certain class and cs,tain inter
ests, but none affecting the great mass of
| tho frha Uo1apa1 i,
reduction of rates 10 this country has been
more than 80 per cent, yet this gigantic
monopoly 10 Maine charges the same rates
IS in 1870. The people Of this State do
not believe this 10 right. Why il it tha.
members Of this Legislature cannot stand up
and do, rs members Of this Legislature
what they believe as private citizens to be
right. Why csnnot the people have the
benef, of legislation in the interests of
justice and fair dealing. In the matter of
mileage As pertains to the Grsad Trunk
Road | want to cay word Nv friend.
Mr.. Srout came down here to Represent
them. They always send their auorseys,
not the traffic or freight agent or anybody
that knows anything about the business,
Their object is TO defeat any reasonable
legislation. This road has been forced by
the competition OF Southern lines for the
las. 20 years TO land western freight
a. Danville Junction and Lewiston
at very low figure. 1t has not
been for any particle Of love they had
for the State OF Maine. They have deliv-
\ cred carloads Of grain st Danville Juac-
ton as low as $1,000 when it has cos, $50
to deliver over the Maine Central branch,
S33 90 Mr.. Sirout stated before the
committee, through his witness, clerk Of
the Grand Trunk, or British gentleman, \
perfectly fair and candid msa, l have no
doubt, that the average rate of .heir mile
age fares was about half cent mile
Nov l take th.t as 3 fact, and admitted
that over certain sections of their road they
issued mileage books at two cents mile.
TheY showed us that they sold all sorts Of
tickets at very low prices Yearly tickets
from Portland to different stations ~
on their lines from $40 10 up TO $50 so.
| These tickets have to be used in jus. such
manner. aud gentlemen living on the
| Grand Trunk tell me these yestly tickets
have no practical use to the travelling pub
| lie. (Mr. Hainrs then quoted some Of the
rates of the Grand Trunk.) The average
| rate which the people living upon the line
| of the Grand Trunk in Msine have to pay,
when they wish to go from one station to
| another. is very close to 5 ce1t a mile.
4 80. Isthat sort of railroad rate liable
to encourage reilroaI business upon the
Grand Trunk in Maine? They say they
are great freight line, to be sure. They
| care nothing ab3u. the travelling public
whatever. They make great cry about
the beautiful service thay give
(Mr. IIaines then read from the Horse
Breeders Monthly criticism upon the
| Grard Trunk, And yet they tell you the
beautiful! service they give the people Of
Maine Is what you should take into consid-
Grafton and you should not interfere with
their rights until they abused them. They
brought in before this committee the whole
report of Charles Francis Adams. mstie in
1871, whereby he denied the constitutional
right, and made q long report to the Legis-
laiure Of Massachusetts, denying the con-
stitutionsl right of the State 70 regulate
rail.osd rates and fares. The report vas
exhaustive. Yet. right in the face o. it
we have had legislation in this
country, with the exception of half
dozen states announcing the priaci.
pie that where the public is interested in
rsilroadiDg or in the use Of public property
we have right to make reasonable regula-
tions and right on top of that one Of the
greatest laws the country has ever given,
that Of the interstate commerce, a few
years ago announcing the same principle
Canaia adopted the same Law, ss did Eug
la1d asfay back as 1915 and France has
the same provision and all the civilized
countries ef the globe have marched right
off from Charles Francis Adams and all
the philosophers Of that school snEouscing
the principle that wherever the public vel.
fare is concerned, i. is not enly toe
right bat the duty Of The legislature to
place reasonable regulations upon all
schedules, tolls ard fares. That principle
of law has al~ays been sustained and up
held, and it made me tired. gentlemen.
when heard one of The most distinguished
lawyers of this State impose upon the in
telngence Of the legislative committee by
draviug out shst old report Of 1871, II he
could "buld zsr the com ni.tee he cannot
this legislature, nor can he cheat The public
with it. They know better.
These railroads. through their attar-
neys. say you should not interfere with
the railroads until the railroads have
abused their public trust, inst
the legislature has given them their
chsrtets and you th3uid not interfere vi /.
them until they abuse lheir public ttust
There is one provision Of my bill by which
| ui.h TO inquire whethet they have over
charged the public or not. Is is The last
section. The railroads are Nc, willing that
should he reported and that the railroad
commissioners should iuqaire into this
question and see whether ihs public ia iIE-
posed upon or not. / have 10 desire TO 10
the railroads any injury. nor to bring
about any unreasonable re gals.ion. Iwsnt
to resd letter from gentleman in
Skovhegan, in the iros and coal business,
sho knows Whist he is taking about.
snd who knows how this Legislature Is
made up, and how ihe legislative commit
tee on railroads was made up, aad what
| influences are at work hsre against ary
| reasonable legislation:
my Dear Sir: I serl you petition from
the business men of Skowhs gan. .
| Some did not expect would sign it, IS
have every reason 20 believe they received
something from the rsirosd that ms jarity
of ns didTot get, either in passes or re
bates. | an one of the Skowhegsn Cosl
| Company. There are three OF W that COM
p1se it. Two have sizred the petition and
one has not, for the reason that he has pass
i don't knor Of any other The
letter then recites some chsrges of the road
and states): nevsr asked for pass but
once and then it was for my wife to go to
Bosom, aud wrote Mr.. Tucker for it. He
wrote thst they were not giving passes TO
everyone We do not ask any
thir Z but what is fair. up here. We do
not expect to get our freight ss los as they
I IL a.. L :