176 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



railroads by the state; but a hint of dissatisfaction with the law 

 is found in the Anti-Monopoly platform adopted in June, 1874, 

 in that it discountenanced any action calculated to work injustice 

 or retard the progress of railroad enterprises. 1 



As was to be expected, vigorous efforts were made to secure 

 the repeal of the railroad law when the sixteenth general assembly 

 came together in i8y6. 2 Governor Carpenter treated the 

 question in his biennial message, describing the efforts to enforce 

 the law and expressing the belief that its general effects were 

 beneficial. His conclusion was that " the law should therefore 

 in its main features be retained, and perfected as experience 

 may unfold its weaknesses, or as maybe necessary to adjust 

 it to the future demands of commerce." 3 There seems to have 

 been considerable sentiment in favor of revising the schedule 

 in the law so as to make it more satisfactory to both railroads 

 and shippers, but the railroad forces, in the hope of securing 

 the repeal of the law opposed all amendments which retained 

 the principle of a statutory maximum. 4 In the end this law 

 was left unchanged; but late in the session a law was enacted, 

 by large majorities in both houses, which provided for the release 

 of any railroad company and its agents from criminal prosecu- 

 tion under the act of 1874, on condition that the company adopt 

 the schedule and file a bond to operate under it for two years 

 (provided it should remain in force) and not to seek to evade 

 it by an increase on through rates, the test of such increase to 

 be the rates in force in i873- 5 This law was accepted by the 

 Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, the Illinois Central, and the 



1 American Annual Cyclopedia, 1874, p. 418, 1875, p. 402. 



2 Cf. Appleton's Cyclopedia, 1875, p. 412. 



3 Legislative Documents, 1876, i. no. i, pp. 10-13. 



4 Senate Journal, 1876, pp. 51, 116, 157-165, 189, 190, 206, 227, 253, 416-419, 

 452; House Journal, 1876, pp. 103, 192, 221, 386, 452-458, 475, 482, 506, 53Q~532. 

 See also Cullom Committee, Report, ii. 1057. That the people of the state were 

 still deeply stirred over the subject of railroad legislation is indicated by the large 

 numbers of petitions received by the two houses, some requesting the retention 

 and enforcement of the act, others, its repeal or modification. See House and 

 Senate Journals, indexes. 



6 House Journal, 1876, p. 593; Senate Journal, 1876, pp. 397, 451; Laws, 1876, 

 ch. cxxxiii. 



