THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION George W. McCrary [Ia.] Introduces in the House Bill to Regulate Interstate Commerce (Railroads); Bill Is Passed; Not Acted on by Senate—John Sherman [O.] Introduces in the Senate Bill to Regulate Interstate Commerce; It Is Committed-John H. Reagan [Tex.] Reports Bill from Committee on Commerce to Prohibit Discrimination in Rates by Railroads; No Action Is Taken-He Proposes to Establish an Interstate Commerce Commission; No Action Is Taken-He Introduces Bill in the House to Regulate Interstate Commerce; It Passes the House but Not the Senate-Shelby M. Cullom [Ill.] Introduces in the Senate a Bill to Regulate Interstate Commerce Through a Commission-Debate: Sen. Cullom, Thomas W. Palmer [Mich.], Leland Stanford [Cal.], Johnson N. Camden [W. Va.], Zebulon B. Vance [N. C.], George F. Hoar [Mass.], Samuel J. R. McMillan [Minn.], Jchn E. Kenna [W. Va.], Nelson W. Aldrich [R. I.], E. C. Walthall [Miss.], William J. Sewell [N. J.]; Bill Is Passed-John H. Reagan [Tex.] Reports Substitute in the House-Debate: Judge Reagan, Charles O'Neill [Pa.]; Substitute Is Passed; Senate Refuses to Accept It, and Conference Committee Is Appointed; It Reports Bill Next Session-Debate in the Senate: Orville H. Platt [Conn.], John T. Morgan [Ala.], Richard Coke [Tex.], Isham G. Harris [Tenn.], William M. Evarts [N. Y.]; Speech of Robert M. La Follette in the House: "Honest Railroads Aided by Government Regulation"-Bill Is Enacted. Ο N March 3, 1874, George W. McCrary [Ia.] brought before the House a bill he had earlier introduced from the Committee on Railways and Canals to appoint a commission to regulate interstate commerce carried by railroads. The bill was ably discussed, and at great length, by the leading constitutional lawyers of the House, but as their arguments will be found in connection with the later establishment of the Interstate Commerce Commission they will not be presented here. It was passed on March 26, 1874, by a vote of 121 to 116. The Senate took no action on this bill. 321 On May 13 John Sherman [O.] introduced a bill in the Senate to regulate interstate commerce, which was referred to the Select Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard. It was not reported from the committee. On May 2, 1878, Judge John H. Reagan [Tex.] reported in the House from the Committee on Commerce a bill "to regulate interstate commerce and to prohibit unjust discrimination by common carriers." The debate on this bill was long and exhaustive, but as the main arguments were later presented in the discussion on the Interstate Commerce Commission they are here omitted. No action was taken on the bill during this session. During the third session of the Forty-sixth Congress [1880-81] Mr. Reagan reported in the House from the Committee on Commerce a bill to establish a Board of Commissioners of Interstate Commerce. It was extensively discussed, but finally the House refused to take action upon it. In the session of 1884-5 Judge Reagan secured the passage of a bill by the House, by a vote of two to one, to regulate interstate commerce. The debate is omitted here for reasons given above. The bill failed to pass the Senate. On February 16, 1886, Shelby M. Cullom [Ill.], from the Select Committee on Interstate Commerce, introduced in the Senate a bill to regulate interstate commerce through a commission. It came up for discussion on April 14. INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION SENATE, APRIL 14-MAY 12, 1886 Senator Cullom explained the provisions of his bill. If the three propositions are correct, that the public sentiment is substantially unanimous that we should act, that the necessity for action exists, and that the power of Congress is |