Morris tribune., 1907-03-02

{. Paul Correspondents.
lplausibly explained that there was no
use Of making it Q special order for
any day; that every member intended
TO vote fora two-cent fare bill and
was ready to vote now. After which
he moved to suspend the rules and
proceed with the passage of the bill,
lall of which was done amid q storm OF
applause.
! Now we are ready TO revert to the
query, why such haste3 What was to
be gained by railroading such an i'm
portant measure thru without the
formality which would have permitted
q study Of it's provisions? The friends
of the bill we're an overwhelming ma
jority. They had nothing to fear thru
a few days of honest conside ration.
On the other hand, such impatience
and impetnosity might make it possi-
BILE for the railroads to incorporate in
to the measure certain complex pro-
visions which would destroy the effect
of the law. "Woodchuckso are cum
ningly contriyed creatures and only
careful consideration reveals them. A
"joker" could hardly be seen with the
naked eye Of legislator while bill
were dashing by as such astonishing
speed.
Had there been any reasonable JUS
tification for the unusual action of the
House, the matter would not have at
tracted SO much attention. But in
view of the peculiar conditions sur
rounding the incident, there arose in
the minds of several interested citi.
zens suspicion as to the true charac.
ter of the measure. Every intelligent
person knew that the railroads were
powerless to prevent the passage of a
] Jtwo.ceDt fare bill in the House. Their
1 only hope was to take advantage oi
the impatient and overzealous attitude
lof the majority, many of whom were
new and inexperienced members and
frush measure thru which contained
some innocent appearing provisior
intended to pervert the purpose ol
the law.
Was there "joker" in the two
cent fare bill which the friends of re
form helped to railroad thru th,
! House? The bill had in it provision
which seems to say that the state shal
uphold the law in the courts. VIII,
was that section inserted and wha
does it mean? If it is back doc
avenue of evasion, was it placed thers
urconsciousy, or had some enemy o
reform an unseen hand in the matter
If this provision had the signific
ance which is feared, it means tina
the enactment of that bin into aav
would not accomplish its object, a
least not in the near future. 1t woul,
throw the burden'of judicial test o
the law upon the state and not upol
the railroads as would obviously b.
the intent of any honest bill. Her
is the point: the railroads could hard
ly be expected to submit to the oper
alton of any two-cent fare law unit
they had exhausted every means o
establishing its invalidity. After th
enactment of law devoid OF wood
chucks, If the railroads desired to tes
the matter in the courts, they coul,
hardly evade the terms of the law un
TIL it had been held unconstitutional
But in the case of this two-eent far
bill which received such scant censid
Grafton by the House the railroad
might compel the state to carry a tes
of the law to the highest courts an
during the intervening years eontinu
to serve the public at a third more
mile.
Before this is published the Senat
will probably have acted upon th
two-cent fare measure. And if j
| develops that the House billdoes con
tain tsjokerp the matter may b
amended there.
Since the Senate has not joined ii
the stampede, the incident is valuabl,
chiefly for the lesson it contains.
emphasizes the danger of such hast,
action on any measure, particular,
8 those which are SO popular and i'm
portant. When reform measures hav,
such undisputed majorities back o
them, it is all the more reason VIII,
careful consideration should charact
lerize every action. Under such con
ditions the only hope of the specia
4 interests lies in misleading amend
ments or ajokers.n The influence o
tha nrpspnt ror1ahine of cornorations Il