CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



185 



proposition, to select men who will give us only 

 their individual views ; but these men are to 

 take the testimony brought before tbem from 

 all parts of the country, and then lay it before 

 the Senate and before the House, and tell botli 

 Houses what manner of men they were that 

 came before them, what influenced their action, 

 under what influences they were brought to 

 appear before the committee, and all other facts 

 necessary for us to know. I think the members 

 of the commission who make the investigating 

 committee should be men who on the floors of 

 their respective Houses can tell all they saw 

 and heard, and give us advice according to the 

 facts. 



" All the eminent men in the country are 

 not to be selected, I presume, on the commis- 

 sion to give their personal views. Each man, 

 I do not care how eminent he may be, who de- 

 sires to give his views or is interested in the 

 great questions to be inquired into, can come 

 before the commission and have his testimony 

 taken down and reported to us; I desire to say 

 frankly that I wish the Senate and the House 

 to hold the control of this commission, and, if 

 anybody is to be appointed by the President, I 

 would let him appoint only one man, and he 

 should be appointed by the advice and consent 

 of the Senate. I would hold the power in the 

 body of the Senate and the House, that are re- 

 sponsible for the legislation looked to under the 

 resolution." 



Mr. Blair, of New Hampshire : " Mr. Presi- 

 dent, the statements of the chairman of the 

 Committee on Commerce [Mr. Gordon], and of 

 the Senator from New York [Mr. Conkling], 

 seem to show very clearly the necessity of some 

 action on this subject-matter, and as the original 

 resolution was sent to the Committee on Com- 

 merce for its consideration, it would seem of 

 course to be the sense of the Senate that that 

 committee should primarily consider the ques- 

 tion. The only reason, so far as I gather from 

 the debate, why that committee does not con- 

 sider it fully and finally and make its recommen- 

 dation to the Senate and to the country, is the 

 press of other matters. It seems to be conceded 

 that there is no more important matter con- 

 nected with the internal commerce of the coun- 

 try than this, and if the Committee on Com- 

 merce was obliged to neglect any, it should not 

 be this, but some other of the pressing or per- 

 haps not as pressing subjects which are referred 

 to it. 



"But if that were so, the Senate will observe 

 that the duties originally referred to the Com- 

 mittee on Commerce have been divided, and the 

 Senate has one select committee already, that 

 on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard, 

 which, so far as I can understand the matter, 

 has nothing whatever to do unless it is when 

 the Committee on Commerce is unable to con- 

 sider a question like this to take charge of it. 

 I observe the honorable Senator from Kentucky 

 [Mr. Beck], the chairman of the committee, who 

 has just spoken, and I should like to inquire of 



him if there has been a single meeting of that 

 committee called during the present or the past 

 session. Has that committee had a single bill 

 referred to it for its consideration ? If not, I 

 would inquire of him and of the Senate, if any 

 one can conceive of a subject proper to be con- 

 sidered by the Committee on Transportation 

 Routes to the Seaboard, if this is not that sub- 

 ject-matter? A few of the committees of the 

 Senate seem to be overworked ; there are other 

 committees that if they have anything whatever 

 to do, my limited observation of this Chamber 

 has failed to discover what it is. 



" Now, upon the general question whether 

 it is necessary to have incorporated with mem- 

 bers of the two Houses of Congress to consider 

 this matter persons outside of Congress, I wish 

 to offer a suggestion or two. It must certainly 

 be considered that whatever legislation is to be 

 taken must be taken by the two Houses of Con- 

 gress ; and to incorporate with these investigat- 

 ing committees of Congress men outside, men 

 Avho are to testify or are to act as experts, is, it 

 seems to me, entirely unnecessary, because they 

 can not legislate, they can only recommend; and 

 to incorporate them with the legislative power 

 of the Government is to give to men who are 

 not a portion of the Legislature of the Govern- 

 ment an undue influence, an influence beyond 

 that which should properly be given to the opin- 

 ion of the citizen. It seems to me it is entirely 

 a wrong practice, perhaps objectionable on high- 

 er grounds than the matter of propriety. 



" I hardly see how such an act can itself be 

 a constitutional act, for it must certainly be 

 delegating to those outside of the legislative 

 branch of the Government a certain degree of 

 influence beyond that of a mere opinion which 

 they otherwise would possess. This branch of 

 the Government can avail itself of all the knowl- 

 edge which any man whatever in the land may 

 have upon this subject. He can be summoned. 

 The most intelligent gentlemen, knowing the 

 most upon this general matter, can be sum- 

 moned to testify as witnesses, and thus the 

 committee can avail themselves of all the 

 knowledge that there is upon the subject ; and 

 it is improper to give any one outside of the 

 House or of the Senate any influence beyond 

 that which he would exert simply as a private 

 citizen. 



U I am aware, and I think any one can per- 

 ceive, that by incorporating in a commission of 

 this kind, prominent and influential men con- 

 nected with the transportation interests of the 

 country and nobody knows who will be ap- 

 pointedwe may give to these men and to cer- 

 tain influences in the country an undue power 

 in fashioning the legislation which may be the 

 result. If this commission is simply to gather 

 knowledge, to obtain information to be laid be- 

 fore the Senate and before the House, what real 

 occasion is there to do more than simply appoint 

 a committee of members in the ordinary way, 

 and endow them with the power of summoning 

 persons and obtaining papers in the usual way 



