Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-02-24

here representing as I apprehend It will
appear In evidence 1900 petitioners In the
State of Maine. lilo or the voters ot the
State of Maine are represented by the
petitions that lie/ upon your desk. rive
hundred petitions l represent, lilo Of the
voting population of this state. Ihese
petitioners, though they may not appea.
those who are representing them anu
present their side of the case and ask
you to grant them what they beiieve 10
be their rights in the matter 1T inter-
ests not only those petitioners, LILO of the
voters of the State of Maine but 1t inter-
ests the whole State. What Is the ques-
tion before you? \ understand tnat a
bill has been introduced before this hon
orable body in which it Is asked that the
seven or eight railroads operating more
thah so miles of railroad in the State OF
Maine may be authorized and even re-
shall be transferable and good to bearer
at two cents per mile as maximum rate
do not know but what there Is another
bill pending before this committee; II
you become satisfied that these petition
ers, anxious and suppiicating as they are;
are not asking too, o,much; then we shall
claim. and shall leave 1t to this body to
say whether or not you may determine
that this bill which lies In your power.
that that. mileage ticket may. be good for
the head of family. man and his WHO
and his children. or TO the head of firm
good to him and his employees, and We
wish to put this proposition before you
gentlemen. anu we must respectfully ask
that you hear our prayer, that you VIII
grant our petition, either as to the two
cent mileage book, transferable and good
for bearer on all roaus In this State Op-
Grating more than fifty miles of road; oi
II you think upon all the evidence when
this case is closed that We are asking too
much and more than YOU can reasonably
grant then we submit the second propo-
slti3n, the second count In the writ, as II
might be termed in court that you will
grant miIpa hook these sew
eral roads at a maximum limit OF two
cents per mile good to the head Of
family and a representa- tiveaof that fam
lily named therein. and the members of a
hrm and its employees or commercial
travellers doing business for that firm. !
DO not stop now to. put this question 10
tion before you as to Its merits. i simply
give you now the position upon which
this evidence will be introduced, and
these petitioners, numerous as they are,
have come here on $40 petitions from va
rious parts of the State. and ask you to
consider these propositions. and l say 1t
without fear OF contradiction, either al
the beginning or at the close of what
may have to say, that the time has come
in the State of Maine when these de-
mands must be met. when they must be
met and decided. whether their demands
are unreasonable or not. Do not misun-
derStAnd me-. ! say the time has come
when the people of this State. petitionine
as they have, in this case ask so.--- con-
:essions from the railroads of this State.
which are but public servants receiving
their immunties from the people of this
State by the charters which they have
received, that they should offer a reason
able manner of transportation to men
and property in the State'o Maine And
We shall submit further, may it please
the committee, that we are asking no
more than what is in operation in the
state of Massachusetts, and what is in OPP
Grafton and by valid law, in the state of
Vermont, and what is in operation in the
state of New Hampshire. and which is
in operation and has been for years in
the state of New York. We come here %
ask nothing unreasonable, but If your
HOnorS shall say it Is unrea sonable that
these mileage books shall be issued to
parties. transferable and good to bearer.
for more reasonable proposition per-
haps you may say that these tickets may
be issued at maximum rate of TWO
cents per mile to the head OF family
so that his wife and his children may ride
upon this ticket instead of being
obliged to purchase one for each at the
expense of twenty dollars for thousand
miles; that it shall be issued to the head
the country and SO that the head of the
firm may allow his employees to ride
on that ticket and pass upon ii. and that
ii may not be transferable beyond the
head of the firm and such persons as he
employs. Those are the plain PROPOSE
tions before you: whether those have
been before the Legislature. or not l
know not and l care not. This time has
come | say when the people of this state,
If they haven't risen already, they Will
arise, and they will If they do not put i;
IN the form of demand, they will put
it in some form of action; and ask the
railroads to give them reasonable rates
and reasonable fares upon the railroads
of this State, which are chartered not
wholly, for private purposes. and private
gain. but for the accommodation of the
DpODlP of this common wealth. NOW In
support of the proposition, may it please
the committee, we shall introduce in the
neighborhood of 500 pefluons; that have
come in here as l understand from gem
tlemen who are members of this honor
able body, and shall show to you that
these petitions represent in the neiShbor-
hood of 1900 inhabitants of this State;
men who pay taxes; men whose rights
have been delegated to Il certain extent
when the charters of the railroads were
granted from the State 10 the quasi pub
lie corporations. And we shall show to
YOU that it is matter of law, and which
you all understand, that it is the right of
this body and the right of this committee
when sitting here in legislative session to
this State: it was right reserved when
the charters were granted 1t Is consti-
utional right: 1t is one given by express
statute in chapter 81 of the Revised Stat
utes. when they granted the charters TO
these railroads they reserved the right to
amend or annul and change to any eX-
tent tnat the Legislature SIlOuIu ste III
thereafter in regard to fares. tariffs and
rates Of freight. Now we are asking
nothing here unconstitutional. We stand
here, and l don't understand it will
be denied. because l see there are too
many good lawyers upon the other side.
and l know the eminent counsel engaged
upon the other side of this case will not
differ from me in my humble capacity.
when ] say itt is constitutional for this
body. if it sees fit in its wisdom, to
change the rate of fares upon the rail-
roads of this State using them all alike.
making no determinations; ii is reserved
right and they take their charter subject
to that right as men take "A deed subject
to an easement. He can not complain OF
that easement for he has expected 1t.
Thus the railroads of this State when
they accepted the charters. undoubtedly
accepted them with that reserved power
in the general court of this State. We
shall introduce some record evidence
which We shall ask you to consider and
also to consider the opinion of these petit
TONERS; where they reside, whether they
reside along the line of travel upon the
railroads. or whether they are in the re-
mote districts of the State away from the
line of the railroads, and know not what
they sign and care as little. We shall
show you that the most of these petition
ers on these five hundred petitions reside
along the line of the road or the great
routes of travel In this State: men who
are to be accommodates: men whose in
terests are at stake in the outcome of the
action here today. | shall further show
that the earning caDacty of these ROADS