The Portland daily press., 1899-03-10
IsYEcIAL TO THE fREss.I

Augusta, March 9-The mileage move
ment came to an end in the House this
morning. No mileage bill will be passed
but the friends of those measures claim
they have won distinct victory. They
have secured certain concessions from the
railways and the promise OF more, but
more important than these things. is the
ack knowledgement by the railroads that
they have heard the voice of the people
and will endeavor to heed 1t. The position
of both parties TO the controversy was ad-
mirably put in the clear and dignihed
statement made by MIR. Webb, who read
an interesting letter from Vice President
and General Manager Evans Of the Maine
Central This was the first of a series
of announcements from the railroads that
they would extend the use of mileage
tickets. MIR. Lvans went further and
agreed that the Maine Central would seek
out inequalities in its freight and passen-
ger tariffs and would ondeavor to rem sdy
them.
The agreement was reached early this
forenoon, before the meeting of the
House Up to that time it had be "a un-
certain what would be the reception of
the committees report.
After the session, there was good deal
of amusement among the spectators and
the question, (which side won?" was on
every tonguep' Some said that the rail-
roads got their anti-scalpiDg bill for
mighty small consideration. Others said
that the railways had received good les
hot fha inn, afa al
far as legislation is concerned.
When the adverse reports were presented
| in the House, MIR. Webb addressed the
Chair. He said:
"From the early days of this sessi1 IN
petitions have been coming to this houle
from all parts of the state beal ing
thousands Of signatures, praying that the
railroads of Maine be required to issue
mileage books good for bearer at a uni
form rate Of two cents per mile. Now
nearly all the roads already issue a book
at two cents a mile, but they sell that
book under such restrictions that it Is
good only in the hands of the purchaser,
so that what these petitioners really
| wanted to do was not so much to reduce
the rate at which these books should be
sold, az. to require railroads to remove the
restrictions which they had placed upon
their sale In. common with many os6kS9
member of this house it seemed TO mo
that this request was reasonable one,
and that it was one to which the legisla-
ture should give the most careful and
painstsking consideration; and 1 accord.
iDgly introduced, some weeks ago, bill
drawn to effect this RESULT but never
said, either in public or private, that this
bill ought to pass right or wrong, or that
the fact that so many people desired it,
was. in ITSELF a sufficient reason for it's
passage. On the contrary have always
maintained that it was question we
should give the most careful, the most
painstaking and the most thorough ex-
animation, with a perfectly fair ana i'm
partial spirit, and with desire TO do
justice to both sides, The question in.
volved is not question of principle. One
cannot say that one side is wholly right,
and the other wholly morally wrong. 1t
is a question of policy. of expediency. o.
what is fair and just and reasonable; not
a question thai would appeal to the con-
science, but to the Judgment, not to the
prejudice or to the passion, but TO the
reason and the sense of fairness.
"For the purpose of comirg TO some
oonclus ion as TO what the effect ol such a
bill, or such law. might be on tho earn
ings of the Maine railroads, l maue IA