The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-06

or retention OF tRa meUoes, oFdi!aA "
womb troubles. Refuse substitutes
lated their charges and necessarily made
them as reasonable as circumstances and
conditions would permit.
VIRGINIA THE LEADER.
He strongly -idiculed the idea Of going
to Georgia, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima or any Southern State to get laws
to regulate the State of Virginia, which
had always been the leader in every con-
sentative. great and safe movement. he
criticised the creation Of five new State
offices-three commissioners, clerk and
a bailiff-with high salaries to administer
this dose OF catnip tea to the railroads
OF Virginia
Speaking Of the majority report. Mr..
Hunton said four lawyers agreed to 1t
and three opposed it, and IL the other
members of the committee had known
the technical phases Of the law as did the
lawyers he did not believe they would
have Joined in the majority report. He
alluded to the objection made by a mem
Der to passing State board Of equaliza-
ton of taxes on the ground that they
would be from the East and would no
deal Justly with other sections Of the
State.
TOO MUCH POWER.
On the same principle the railroads
objected to being controlled by q com.
mission which might be composed Of
men with preconceved ideas, and of
being compelled in case of an unwise or
unjust order to appeal from Philip
drunk to Philip sober. To place such
unprecedented power in the hand of any
three men, whether they were competent.
wise or Just, would be little short OF
suicidal.
He prayed to God 90 save the State
from commission having such powe.
with a possibility even of their being pro
(ussional politicians inlbued with Dopu-
LIST ideas or demagogues Of a worse type.
proving upon the cupidity, ignorance or
;,rejudices Of the people in relation to
corporate rights investments, or ac-
cumulation Of capital.
He described how 1t would be possible
for politics to enter into the selection OF
these men and the demoralizins effect OF
forcing the railroads AS u matter of ;ib
.olute existence to take an active part
in the selection of all officers connected
in any such way with such unheard of
powers.
Abiding to the statement made by Mr.
Braxton that the Car of Russia old NOT
have the power that Pierpont Morgan
had under the present laws. he retorted
that the Gar Of Russia did not have the
give to three men, who, as railroad
commission. with power to arbitrarily
fix rates could completely destroy one
railroad in fixing a. rate that on Its race
seemed fair, but in reality could enrich
a favored road, while hankrupting an
other. The spirit of hostility which
breathed through every line of the ma
tcrity report to the corporations of the
State was SO plain to him it was more
than painful to contemplate 1t
SPIRIT OF FAIRNESS.
Mr.. Braxton claimed to be friend to
corporations and to have acted In
spirit of great fairness and leniency to.
wards them. The speaker declared that
he would be afraid to meet such friend
as that on a dark road at night.
Mr.. Hunton called attention to the fact
that one provision of the majority re-
port was exactly the same that Senator
Cullom incorporated in his interstate
commerce bill in 1898, and which was de-
feated In Congress for the reason that
il was impracticable. And 1t would be
found that in preparing his ordinance
MIR. Braxton had always adopted the
most drastic, radical, and most criminal
sections of other proposed bills, which
had been uniformly rejected by other
conventions and impartial Legislatures
congressional or constitutional bodies.
The speaker then devoted some time to
short haul principle. quoting many Su
preme Court decisions to show how diff
ferent was the construction placed by the
courts on the language In the BraNton
report, and pointed out how the provision
in the Hunton majority report had been
uniformly construed and was clearly un-
derstood by all lawyers. He claimed that
the minority report recognized the right
of the State to supervise CORPORATIONS,
but not to control them. He doubted the
wisdom of having anything besides
general authority to the Legislature to
enact laws put in the Constitution. but
| finding that the convention seemed t.
think otherwise, he had presented mi
nority report which would be just and
| fair to all and acceptab BILE to the corpora
! tons. because It was fair and just. He
| gave a history of the interstate CON-
merce law. and said 1t embodied the best
] thought that Anglo-SaXon Ingenuity and
| wisdom could contribute to solution OF
the vexed question.
1t was largely modelled after the Eng
| fish act which had received the creates
| through Of that nation Of great men ant
| statesmen
He went at length into the merits OF tn
| interstate commerce law and asserted ina
members were prejudiced against II ! :.
cause many Of them had given IL Gu;
| a superficial examination.
FROM NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Hunton several times alluded t
/ Mr.. Withers az the member from NORTH
Carolina. and once asserted that eve
| since he had Known him he had been Co,n
planning of the Legislature. OF the JUDI
| eiary. of the railroads, Of everything tina
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