The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-03-27
THE BAXTER BILL.

before the County DelnOcrauc LAecu
tive Committee. pro and con, concern
ing the Baxter railroad bill.
In that very able discussion. how
ever, what strikes us as the mosi
important feature. was not touched
upon: and that is. the penalty clause
which is this: That every railroad
corporation which shall wilfully fail,
neglect or refuse to comply with any
provision of this act. shall, for each
day such corporation So fails. neglect'
or refuses. forfeit anu pay the sum OF
$500"
There's the rub That's where the
shoe pincbes. The penalty hurts.
Five hundred dollars a day is a little
steep. Make it five dollars day and
the railroads will fight it through the
courts. Make it fifty dollars a day
and perhaps they would chance 1T. But
when the penalty reads i've hundred
dollars a day. tnen they must defeat
the bill or obey the law. And that s
why the l.. g. N. and the N. q G. are
up in arms against the bill.
1t was argued yesterday that the
law of the state already requires that
every railroad shall treat all other
roads alike, and receive each other 4
freight aud that is doubtless true. But
1t is quite as true that the roads do not
obey the law. And the purpose OF the
Baxter bill is to make law they Will
fear not to obey.
The DILL is not only eminently fair
and just and proper. but 1T is an abso-
lutte necessity. Tennessee is hampered
by a railroad monopoly. Eyerythin G
that grows in this ''dlmple OF the
universe, Is made to pay tribute to
that monopoly. Everything that Is
dug out of the gound is rated for
all it will stand, and confscated to
that extent. An iron band is around
us and whithersoever we go, east or
west, north or south, the rate robbers
of this merciless, soulless, conscience
less monopoly. stand at the gate way
to extort an unjust and unreasonable
toll. Middle Tennessee, If it ever
hopes or expects to expand, must break
that band and better time will
never come for the people to unite and
make pull, hard pull and a pull
altogether.
The Baxter bill provides "that every
railroad in the state, shall, at all
crossings and intersections of 9th er
railroads, where the public interest
and convenience require it, build and
maintain suitable connecting TRACK or
tracks and other facilities adequate for
the transfer OF cars, freights, passen-
gers and baggage from one road to the
other.
This section has been bitterly fought
by the opponents Of the bill, but 1T is
entirely right and proper. Why notf
1t provides that these facilities shall
be furnished where the public inter-
est and convenience require 1t. =
What are railroads for il not to serve
the 'public interest and convenlenceY
Why are they given the right OF
eminent domain Is 1t for their pri-
vate interest and convenience Are
they granted franchises and given the
power to condemn the property OF the
citizen, and pillow through the sacred
soil of the cities Of the dead, that they
may pile up their heaps of gold and
feed their mercenary maws9 Was ever
there statute passed giving to one
OF them a corporate existence that 1t
did not read "the public welfare re-
curing it. i" And vet they put OH a ter
ribly injured air and wear an affidavlt
countenance yard long when they
are asked to "build and maintain
suitable connecting tracks and othei
facilities adequate marx the word,
adequate for the transfer OF
cars, frelghts, passengers and baggage
from one road to the other, - where'
..Where the public interest and conven-
fence require It," Exactly what they
ought to do. And as they are not DONG
it. what they ought to be made to do'
Such jeaiousies and differences De-
tween railroad con panies as this Dill
seeks to overcome and prevent, should
not be tolerated by the state. Wnen
one railroad refuses to receive frelgh'
from another road, it refuses to re-
celve the freight OF the people. Inc
roads have no freight of their own.
They are hauling the freight OF others
And they should be required by law tt
recei ve.the freight of the people from
each oJhAr. just as they are required tt
receive it originally from the people
themselves. =. Ana, as the bill proviaes'