The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-02-25
A Broadside for the Kent Bill.

A BrOads1de for the Kent Bill.
Delegate Pitcher, of Fauquier county |
On the 10th, dissected the Kent bill and
gave it such a rasping that it will hardly |
recover from it, He is reported as fol> |
lows:
The Kent railroad commission bill |
again came up as q special order. Mr. !
Pitcher, of Fauquier, one of the members
of the Committee on Roads, who voted
against the measure, opposed it in an
exceedingly forcible speech. "As mem
Der of the Roads Committee,n said he,
II wish to say something in regard to
the Kent bill, which we have been con
sidering for two months. We have taken
great deal of evidence and heard
great deal of discussion on the floor of
this House. As a member of the com
mittee | have been waiting for some per
son to give a reason why such bill as
Mr. Kents should be enacted into law
by the people of Virginia-by this Leg
islature-and as yet, sirs, we have had no
one before us that gave any cause why
such a law should be enacted. Now
sirs, the bill itself is the most wonderful
production that has ever come from any
man in the State of Virginia. ! don't
think you can find anything ever en-
acted by the people of Virginia that
compares with the bill. l am glad to
realize, sirs, that | know the gentleman
from Wythe and have met him person
ally, because | don't think if | only
knew him through this bill, that | would
have any proper conception or idea OF
what sort of a man he is. think, sirs,
said the speaker, continuing, that it is
more wonderful than even Jules Verne,
in the widest dreams of his imagination,
or any other man who produces that
which is unnatural to meet the demands
of imagination, would have brought
forth Inconsistencies Absurdities !.
He has asserted several times with out
ward manifestations of inward satisfac-
ton that norman could tell the difference
between this bill and the present statute
and th~ laws now laid down for the cons
troll and governing of the railroad cor
porations of this State. Now, sirs,
expect in a word to answer this question
Mr.. Withrow asked the same thing and
said his interrogation had remained I'm
answered, and that was the reason why
he was for the bill; that nobody has been
able to say in what respect this measure
differs from the Code save in the enforce
ment of the law and the means of en-
forcing the bill. l am here to say that
the law laid down in the Code of Virginia
to-day governing railroads is law which
puts a penalty upon the violation of
anything that is there enacted Re
strictions are placed upon railroads and
there are penalties for violating them,
but this Kent bill takes from the owner
the control of property in the first place.
it puts it in the hands of three commits
sioners, and then puts the execution of
the penalty for violating their commands
in their power. The principles OF this
bill applied to criminal law would mean
that when man committed an offense
you would first hang him, then give him
the hanging before a court, and then
give him the right of appeal to the jury
as to the time of hanging, the length of
the rope, the quality of it, etc. That is
what this bill means. 1t puts penalties
over you; it takes control of property
from owners and gives them a right of
appeal from the decision of the commits
sioners, the men who really have abso-
solute control of the property. 1t differs
in this respect, sirs; it takes possession of
my property in the very commencement,
and then makes laws to make me obey
it's orders and rules.
Nov, sirs, there are more inconsis-
tencies in this bill than anything | ever
saw in my life. 1t was gotten up by the
lion and the lamb-the Chamber of Com
merce and the farmers of the State of
Virginia. | have been struck with some
of the features as the most wonderful
things | have ever met with.
81 am here to ASSERT continued Mr..
Pitcher, that in the estimation or MAX
ing of rates we cannot be controlled in
one country by the rates of another;
that densely populated country with
maximum tonnage will give minimum
rates; that through thinly settled
country we cannot have minimum rates,
for it takes maximum freights to bring
minimum prices"
Mr.. Pitcher, who spoke nearly two
hours, ridiculed the idea that the Demo
cratic party was committed to any such
bill as that under consideration