The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-05-16
-ORLISS BILL HEARING
A PORTION OF THE MEASURE HAS
RECEIVED ENDORSEMENT.
The Provision for Furnishing the Cor
porations and Those Receiving Bene-
fits Have Met With Much Favor.

Washington, May 1.-the Interstate and
foreign commerce committee of the house
Of representatives has about concluded its
task nj bearing testimony on the Coriss
bill, which seeks to amend the interstate
commerce laws. The hearing has consumed
nearly ave weeks, during which time rep
resentatives Of private shipping interests
and members OF the interstate commerce
commission have appeared before the com
mittee to speak for their respective inttr
ests.
The Corliss bill seeks TO amend the pres
ent law In several particulars, The prln'
ciral amendment 1t offers and the one
which the committee viii very likely recon-
mead 10 the house Tor passage provides
that corporations shall be punished for yio-
latlons of the Interstate commerce laws and
also that any person or firm who gets the
bercdt Of a violation Of the laws shall be
punished. The law now in force merely
says that an cmploye OF The corporation
who violates the law shah be punisued a
law which IS constantly violated without
that have been brought iuto the courts not
one has resulted in conviction.
70 make the proposed mendment quite
clear IL may be well to quote the exact Ian
guage OF the CorlIss bin on this point It
Is as follows:
BE it enacted, etc, That section 10 Of an
act entitled An act to regulate commerce
| as amended March ., 1893, be amended so
| as to read as follows.
Section 10 Every carrier, every lessee,
! trustee, receiver, officer, agent or repre-
| sentative OF d carrier who shall transport
| trauic subject TO this act Mt any other rate
| or upon any other terms and conditions
| than are published IN accordance with the
| provisions OF the act; or who by the pay
! ment OF any rebate or by any other device,
departs from such published rate IN the
| transportation Of sucn tranic, or who trans
| ports such traffic without having first pub
! lished a tariff applicable to the same,
! agreeably to the provisions OF this act; ana
| any person who procures or soicits to be
done or assists, aids, or abets In the doing
| OF any one OF the aforesaid acts, shall be
| deemed guilty Of a mIsdemeauor and shall,
| upon conviction thereof, be subject to a
fine Of not less than $1,000 and not more
| than $4,000 FOR each such offense.
| ANY person, whether an employe or a
| principal or member OF a firm or company,
or an employe, agent or officer Of a corpora
tion, for any Of whom as couslgnor or con,
| signee any carrier subject 10 the provision.
| Of this act shall transport property, who
| shall knowingly, by false description, false
weight, or false representation OF the con.
| tents Of any package, or by any other
| fraudulent means, obtain or attempt 70 ob
| tain the transportation OF property, with
or without the collision OF the carrier OF
| any or It's employees, agents, representatives
for less compensation than that prescribed
| by the published tariffs or schedules Of
rates in force at the time, shall be deemed
guilty OF a misdemeanor, and shall, upon
conviction thereof be subject 70 a hne O.
not less than $1,000 nor more than 5000
for each such otfense."
The proposed amendment OF section iC
goes further and provides that the carrier
or Its agent who violates any provision OF
the act for which no penalty is otherwis,
expressly provided shall be punishable hy
a fine OF not less than $1,000 and not NOR,
than $1,000 for each such offense.
II says plainly that every corporation
which shall be guilty of any act or commits
! sion which, II done by an individual would
be misdemeanor under the provisions OF
the act shall be deemed guilty OF a misde
mennor and shall be subject to the same