The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-08-31
STRONG
PUTS THE CORPOE
TRUCKERS TO WUI

TI==+7Tsf,i51 Esalg
who ships ten car loads Of freight q
week.
commisslonsthe Greater elssd:
discussed this mat tter fally q ~
IPittsburg speech, which think you
read. You will see. There fore tltat d
am not opposed to 1.-TWO cen milk
rate under proper condition But q
do believe that proper raIlfpa com
mission law would be Of much greater'
benefit to this State than a two cent a
mile rate, and 1 wanted to call atten-
tion to this so that If the Legislature
should pass a two cent a mile rate law.
the people would not forget that there
was something of far more import
| ance than that in railroad Legislation.
Besides that. proper railroad com.
mission bill would include the fixing
of maximum fares on all railroads,
aud should prefer that a railroad
commission should fix the maximum
fares on railroads rather than that the
Legislature should do SO by a separate
act. ! think this is The way these
matters should be done. think SO
because have given the matter con-
siderable study.
There was a great deal of agitation
in this State, beginning,l think, along
about the year 1877, concerning exces
siye rates on the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, and especially about the
very unjust discrimination which
that ro4l practiced against the peoplT
OF West Virginia. At that time, very
well remember. you could ship car
load OF cattle from Chicago to Baltl.
more at less rate than you could
ship car load of cattle from any
point in West Virginia along the B.
and O., to Baltimore, For instance, the
rate on car load OF freight from
Terra Alta, in Preston county, to Bal
Itimore, was much higner than the rate
on the car load from Chicago to Bal
ltimore. e -
1 was elected to the State Senate in
1880, and took my seat in that body In
January. 1881. The people 1 repre-.
sented we're very greatly interested 'r
this matter, and 1t was my duty as
their representative 10 study 1t and
try to find proper remedy. L soon
found in studying the question that
the fixing Of specific rates by statute
had been tried In England and else
where and proved afallure, for obvious
reasons. found that Massachusetts
and Georgia, and perhaps other States,
following the experience of England,
had created railroad commissions.
which isia body of experts authorized
and empowered by lawst control rail
road management, to prevent abuses
growing out of such management, to
see to the enforcement Of all laws co.,
corning railroads and from time to
time to suggest new legislation. Some
of these commissions we're empowered
TO nix maximum rates for the transpor.
tation Of freight and passengers. ad.
justing these rates to the several rail-
roads according to the conditions pre-.
vailfng upon each individual railroad.
For instance, other things being equal,
freight and passengers can be trans.
ported and passengers can1 be trans:
ported. cheaper per mile over the ohin
River division Of the B. and O.. from
Wheeling to Kenova than they can be
transported from Wheeling to Cur.
berland, because the olto River road
has veTy law grades, while on the B.
and o., from Wheeling TO Cumberland
there are heavy. grades and sharp
curves. in ,hxing rates the amount OF
freight and the number OF passenger
ItoSbe tsahsported, and the 4 ecet ,ot
Transporting them, ought to be taken.
into consideration to practical
extent
The Georgia Law.
After examining the laws of Massa.
chusetts and Georgia and the other
states which then had railroad commits
slons. / adopted the Georgia law as
best suited to West Virginia. adapted
to the laws and conditions of this
State and introduced the bill in the
State Senate in 1881.
] think this law went into effect in
Georgia9in In 1875. II was a well con-
etdefed and an elaborate nea sure. !. and
llirFpated ID conIni sion OF tree men
and gave them lafgs powers inrlniis
ang die power pi tiisIas NE max iflura
rates Tor the ransp poftaHpn of freigAt