Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-18


ties of the State" They said in the
counties where there are no COM
plants this was needless. The Maine
Central says: I'VE have been doing
things all right, even if the B. &, A.
| haven't been doing things all right;
we are innocent and we should not
have any meetings where we operate
| Now, they said there were counties
| in the State where the people would
not make complaints, and II there
| were no complaints why should there
be any meetings there? 1 said I &C
knowledged the justice of that, and I
said I would fix that and I put into
| the statute there that wherever on the
| complaint of 10 or more shippers OF
| freight or consignees of freight of I'M
| just fares and unjust rates and tolls,
setting forth their complaint in detail,
| that when that is done and in writing
| then the railroad commissioners shall
| hold meeting in that county, adver-
tise it and hold it the same as is pro-
vided under this bill: so where there
| were no complaints found there would
be no need of holding the public meet
ings. What other objection could they
have: 1 didn't know of any. And until
last Friday the thing hung there i'll my
| bill, and then the committee reported
Ought not to pass You have all
heard of the old parson who took up a
collection in his hat and when it was
returned to him after being around
he thanked the Lord that he had got
his hat back. have not been so fortu-
nate in this matter; | didn't get back
| my bill. 1t was reported Ought not
to pass
| | cannot understand it because l
knew that the committee believed sin
cerely and honestly that there should
| be something done in this matter.
What was my establishment. Right
along with that report at the same
time came a bill, and that bill was put
| in from a member of this committee.
| 1t was not a bill reported under a
new draft, but it was a separate bill,
| with the same title That bill was very
| simple. 1t simply amended the first
| section Of the present law by inserting
| these words: "And said hearings shall
! be held in the county in which the
| complaint originates when requested
And I could not understand at this late
hour why this bill should be put in and
advertised and a public hearing had
for it could not be heard at this Legis-
latufe. and what was my astonishment
this morning to have that bill reported
back into the committee Fought to
pass Now, l don't care whether it
passes or not. 1t is perfectly harmless,
and it cannot harm anybody, even the
| railroads. 1t cannot change this law
ut the present time to make it any
| la + jS- Of t1,o
fact that they shall hold meeting in
| Il county where q complaint is made
is OF no consequence unless you have
the machinery for doing the business
and holding the court, and of course
it would slumher there as the law has
for many years past.
AS | say, that is what you get by
| having a matter that involved certain
legal questions referred to a commit
tee not composed of wing
nothing to say against the members OF
the railroad committee L think they
are honest in the matter ana they
knew we had to have something and
they wanted to please both parties
and 50 they put this in thinking per
haps it would work Rut it won't work
and We all know it won't work 1t
don't amount to anything but it shows
tkis-that the railroads OF this State
We're entitled to q public hearing upon
this matter and if you don't give them
a public hearing then there must be
an understanding between the commit
tee and the railroad lobby that they
have consented to this bill, and the
railroads endorse it; there is no ques-
ton about that, and | can see this lob
by sitting back here around the cor
ridorS of this House and around the
Augusta House smiling and saying:
'Bitc, bite, but you have no teeth
Something has got to be done. I am
speaking for a great many people of
this state. Yesterday there was long
hearing before the judiciary commit
tee on the public utilities bill, a bill to
have the railroad commissioners OF
this State changed to public service
commissioners to have a, general over
sight over all the public service cor
porations of this State. common car
rcrs. telegraph, telephone, electric
light plants and power plants and wa
ter companies. 1t was a grand good
bill and it is a thing which this State
must have some day, and those of YOU
1
committee of the Hon. Mr. Drew Of
Portland, must be convinced that it
was right. Such a bill as that ought t.
pass in this Legislature. If that bill
passed | would not have a word to say.
it takes care of this matter about
which | am speaking, and it is the
right idea; it is what this State
| must come to in time, and I say 70
| you. gentlemen of the House, that this
state will not be able to regulate the
corporations formed here in times to
| come without some such regula ton -or
| their control. A good deal of the time
| of this Legislature is taken up by
| granting charters to the public ser
| vice corporations, to extending their
charter rights and giving them new
powers, giving them new strength
These corporations that we are form
ing will be too powerful for the State
to control. But | would not expect
the railroad committee to approve Of
that; | do expect them, and | did eX-
pect them to approve of this measure
and | say of that railroad committee
| while | don't say word against the
| honesty of any one of them. | don't