Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-05

J was also afterwards amended by IT,
proponents of the bill and by tn
| committee, and after the bill had beef
shaped up it was reported to tn
!, House. 1t was practically satisfac
tory to the railroads who appeared q
the reading.
Now if the bill is satisfactory to tn.
railroads, and we must assume that Il
is satisfactory to the people of The
State. | do not see why ii should not
! be satisfactory to the Governor. j
seems that the committee on railroads
/ had a thorough hearing on this mat
| ter. The men who compose that
| committee are men of brains and in
telligence, and they went over this
| matter and they made unanimous
| report to this Legislature. The
Legislature sustained their report am
voted to pass this bill.
/ myself, probably others. looked at
the bill or. at least. talked with some
one before voting for it. 1t was laid
on the table. / think the senator from
Sagadahoe, Senator Maxwell, laid IL
on the table for three or four days IN
order that senators might get chance
to examine it. And there is demand
for such a bill as this II, as / said
before. the railroads are practically
satisfied and the people are satlsHea'
why should there be anything Tor thc
public utilities commission TO do. fte
public utilities commission VIII Dc
busy enough when they get started
about things where the people are dls-
satisfied and where there is grounh
for complaint. and the reasoning OF
the Governor in his message does not
appeal to me as being sound IN TINS
particular instance.
The bill, | can see, would be help
to the people of the State in that they
will not have to buy so much mileage
from scalpers, and they will not tie
so much money UP in thousand mie
books And further than that | think
the reason why the railroads offered
no serious objection to it was because
they realized that people would put
out more money for these five num-
dred mile books and that they. the
would get the benefit OF the
peoples money. | heard senator
say today that he bought three OF the
one thousand mile books on one rail-
road and one of the one thousand on
the other in year, so that the rail-
roads got to az in extent the bene-
fit of his mon II during the year
he advanced so much to them.
More of the people will invest thei-
money for the benefit of the railroads.
md the railroads will get the benefit
# that amount of money which they
,ay for these five hundred mile books.
As it is in practice now. man who
raveis but little will go TO sealper
md hire a book. paying two and
cents or two and a half cents
, mile rather than put the money out
Tor book for his own use; because
as | said before one of the Thousand
nile books requires the outlay OF
twenty dollars, whereas if this bill
goes into effect l believe that those
people who have patronized scalpers
n the past will to a large extent buy
Jooks of their own, and it Will be
saving to the people at large OF our
State. And |. for one, do not see hon
he public utilities could help or aid
Dr explain or determine this matter
INV better than it has been already
As has been already stated, the Bill
simply says that where a railroad has
ssued a mileage book before for one
thousand miles. it shall now issue one
'or five hundred miles, and do not
see where the public utilities com
would be brought in to fix or
determine any question in regard to II.
believe it would be not only bene-
lit to the State and the people of our
State, but also it would be dement,
TO the railroads. And | think myself,
Mr.. President, that the Senate should
vote to pass this bill notwithstanding
the objection of the Governor.
Mr.. HERSEY of Aroostook: Mr..
President, l hope that what the sem
ator from York, Senator Cole. has
stated is not exactly true. | do not
mean that he has attempted TO de-
ceive US, it is his opinion that l am
speaking about, that the public utii--
ties is such a weak instrument, which
he helped to make, that it eanno.
cover this case. | should be ashamed
of this bill that he labored and worked
for all winter if il cannot do what IL
was intended to do. In other words,
il it cannot cover a branch railroad II
the State, although the bill says, all
railroads operated in the State. Ihe
river is covered, but the stream is NOT,
the tributary is left out. | am sorry
the senator did not find this out ne
fore the bill was passed 10 be Ell"
crossed. / also regret that the sena-
tor from Penobscot, Mr.. President, has
got the idea. although he was not On
the railroad committee, that the fat
roads are elamoring for this lesisla-
ton and want it. That was sur
prise to me, that they wanted some
law from this Legislature that would
give them the right and great privi-
lege of doing what this bill calls Tor
them TO do. Somebody is mistaken.
| think il must be the senator from
Penobscot.
Mr.. President, | think that the utill-
ties commission has absolute author
itv TO regulate this matter. Further
than that, that it viii be regulated
whether you oyerrule the Governor :
veto or not; they will regulate the
affairs of the railroad in this state
regardless Of this piece of Legislation
IL YOU pass it. The commission has
authority to raise rates, lower rates
and change the acts and practices OF