The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-09
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NOFURTHER HEARING
Argument Closer and Committee
VIII Consided Measure.
STRONG OBJECTIONS ARE MADE.
Speakers Declare That the Proposed com>
missioa Woad Work Great Hardship
on the Corporations and Do che
State Material Iuiury-Many
Railroad Mea at the
Meeting.
STRONG OBJECTIONS ARE MADE.

There was not so large an attendancs
as formerly at the session of the Cor
poration Committee yesterday Those
present were members of the convention.
railroad attorneys and officials. Among
these were State Senator Henry Z.
Wickham. general counsel for the Chesa-
peake and Ohio; Judge Baxter, counsel
for the Louisville and Nashville and the
Southern; William A Glasgow, counsel
for the Norfolk and Western; John Il.
Harris, counsel for the Baltimore and
Ohio; President Stevens. of the Chesa-
peake ard Ohio; President Myers. of the
Richmond. Fredericksburg and Potomac
General Baxter, OF Nashville. Tenn.
gcIe'dl counsel of the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad. and special counsel
OF the Southern Railway was the first
speaker. He said the thing upon which
constitutional ordinances were founded
was that on fundamental principles OF
government the people could not co
trusted. For this reason only funda-
mental principles should be engrafted
into the organic law. leaving to. the peo-
pie to deal from time to time with
non-fundamen entail rights, as the occasion
required He was grievously dsappoint-
ed to learn that Virginia. the mother OF
States, seriously entertained proposI-
ton to subvert the democratic doctrine
that the people could be trusted. and
set bad precedent to other States. by
embracing legislative enactment into Its
Constitution. He declared that the right
to regulate carriers charges was not a
fundamental one. Such matters had al
ways been left to the right Of interactioE
by commercial forces.
a WASTE OF WORDS
General Baxter said it was a waste cf
words to discuss the fact that the preju-
dices and passions of the people were
against the railroads. That being so,
there could be no danger In leaving TO
the people the right to~regulate them.
II anything, the convention had better
pass a protective ordinance for the rail-
roads against those passions and preju-
dices.
suppose the Interstate commerce law
had been an amendment to the Consti-
tuition instead of an act OF Congress,
could any one question it's dire results
In light of the fact that every session CT
Congress since its enactment the COM
mission itself had been compelled to se-
cure amendments to make it at all prac-
teal?
iie ieIelIed TO OtIleF experimental leg
islation by Congress. such as anti-pooIing
and antitrust acts, and showed how
their actual operation was so harmful to
all sides that they had to be amended or
repealed.
He asserted that there were no three
men in Virginia who had the mental or
physical capacity to take into their hands
the control of the operating of The tllir-
ty-five hundred miles OF railroads in the
State. If such thing was desirable it
would be an impossfblity, besides amoune-
ing to confiscation, In one sense. OF tns
railroads property rights. for the power
of control included the power to direct
The commission could direct the rail.
roads TO develop a marble or other Inc
dustry and establish freight rates that
were absolutely rtiinous to a transporta-
ton company. He did not think that be-
cause there were Isolated instances OF
error, fraud, corruption, or oppression
the part of a few railroad officials they
should be taken as grounds for involving
90 per cent of the transportation inter-
ests OF the State in hopeless confusion
and loss.
TOO MUCH POWER.
The speaker showed that the power pro-
posed to be given to the railroad COM
mission amounted to more than that pos
sessed by even the president and board
of directors of a railroad company. HIS
said competition between the different
railroads in the State was as great to-
day as ever In the history of the State.
The popular idea of competition was rate
cutting. That was happily passed.
The proposed commission i'll establish
ing tron-bound rates, based upon mileage,
would absolutely destroy competition.
Tie Legislature unquestionably has the
right to regulate rates.
fr WSS TSfffT if 5yxrffl 10
That is why we propose to do something
here
General Baxter: TT cannot be SO bad
as that The people should elect mem
bers of the Legislature who would carry
out their will. and presume they do It"
Legislature. consisting OF 140 men. sitting
only once in two years. could possibly FIX
rates that were just??'
Judge Baxter: Certainly not
Mr.. Braxton: How. then, can 1t be
done, except by commission?
Judge Baxter: TIE maximum rates
were nxed by the Legislature In the
Granger cases The Legislature is the
wisest and highest legislative body known
to government. except when a constis1-
tional Convention is in session. Great
laushter.)
He assured Chairman Braxton that he
meant no disrsspect to the conveutlon or
intended that his statement should %
taken jocularly
Judge Baxter submitted that the Judges
or members OF the commission should not
be made both prosecutors, detectives ana
judges, all tn one. It should be dieni-
fled commercial court not subject to fss-
auent changes and the football OF parti-
san politics. II should be- composed Of
the very best men In the State. and to
secure them large salaries should be pasd
and long terms Of Office provided
LONG AND SHORT 81 AyrIA
Addressing the long-and-short-hau3