People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-07-15
SOLvESA GRAVE PROBLEM
SENATOR HARRIS SEEKS TO ANSWER THE
RAILROAD QUESTION. $780,
His Bill Proposes to Substitute for the Pres
ent interstate Commerce Commission q
Railroad COurt-Seven Judges to Decide
All Pertinent Litigation, Regulate
Commerce and Punish Offenders.

Senator William A. Harris speak
ing in regard to his bill, said that he
"did not claim perfection for it, out
if a man was out III a hail storm his
idea of safety would be the interior
of substantial house, but at the
same time he would be foolish If he
did not take shelter in the nearest
shed until he could make an advance
in the direction Of his higher ambl-
ton
? The senator's bill provides that a
new tribunal known as the "COurt Of
Railroad Commissioners" consisting
of seven members, shall be appointed
by the President, by and with the
advice and consent Of the senate,
who are, after the first term of seven
years, to respectively hold their Of
fees for the term of seven years
each. This court is to Succee1 the
present ineffective and almost worth
less Interstate Commission. urls
diction is given the new court con
current with all other courts for the
rectihcation of all wrongs committed
bv the railways and common carriers
of this country. The new court is to
have full power to enforce the attend
ance of parties and Witnesses, the
production Of books and accounts
and every other power in tha. direc-
ton which is now enjoyed by the
circuit courts of the Unite States.
The United States is to BE- divided
into seven judicial districts, each to
be presided over by a member of
the court. These different courts
are to be located in various parts
of the United States where it will be
be convenient for the c5mplainanls
10 attend. The United States mar
shals and clerks of the different cir
cult courts Of the United States are
to furnish such aid and ASST, ance as
will give to each of these courts such
facilities as will insure prompt re-
suits.
The seven judges are 10 meet foor
times year as court IN banc in
the District Of Columbia where all
appeals may be heard and such other
necessary business as the court from
time to time shall have TO transact.
FAULTS OF PRESENT COMMISSION.
The trouble with the present inter
state commerce law is that the COM
mission organized under it has sub
stantially no power whereby it can
enforce its judgments or carry out
proposed reforms or remedy existing
evils. The Harris bill provides tor
all of these deficiencies and gives
the new courts power to punish
wrongdOerS with adequate penalties.
In some trials in Chicago a short
time ago the railway companies
openly dehed the present railway
commissi n and refused to submit
their books of account and otherwise
thwarted the commission in its at.
tempted investigation for the pre-
vention of wrong.
The defenders of the bin point
out that the trouble with railroad
legislation in this country is, and ha:
been, that the railways law .erS al
ways write the bills under which
railways are to be governed, the PEG.
pie thus being practically shat out
with no voice whatever. The reSul
has been, they say, thai railway
managers have reaDed immense for
tunes while the people hav. beer
correspondingly robbed. The For
aker bill, now pending in the senate
which is feared may become a law
is said to be one of this character
ins;igated by railway Vaccination
and urged to passage by the railwa,
lobbyists around congress. and. b,
every means known, this lobby i
endeavoring to push the Foraker bill
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF PATRIOTISM
The Harris bill, on the other hand
IS written from the stan point Of pa
triotism, these men deci3re-not il
any sense for the purpose OF destroy
ing legitimate railway enterprise, bu
accords to the railways as well a
the people perfect justice, and a sys
TEN whereby equal rights may be en-
forced by either side, In short, it i
even handed justice to the citizen
who invest their money in the busi
ness of common carriers as we'll as t
those who employ them.
Of all things most desirable in tn
minds OF railway managers is the en-
great idea ofpooling, the champion
of the bill explain. They want tn
right TO form pools whereby, in con
clave, these railway magnaies shal
be enabled 10 say how much sha
be the price of corn or wheat in Kan
saS, coal or the value of ore in Col
orado, the price of cattle and hog
raised in the United States; in fac
they want the right to say what the
shall charge before any of the grea
agricultural or industrial products G
the DaODla ch II zach H. o,s.... .