222 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



which was presented to the Senate, April 24, 1874, is to be 

 found in the conclusion " that the problem of cheap transporta- 

 tion is to be solved through competition" As a consequence, a 

 large part of the report was devoted to a discussion of various 

 proposed waterways and freight railroads to be owned or con- 

 trolled by the government. 1 With regard to legislation estab- 

 lishing rates and fares on existing lines, the committee declared 

 that more definite and detailed information was needed than 

 was in the possession of Congress or itself. It did, however, 

 recommend a number of restrictive measures, which it declared 

 " may be enacted with entire safety, reserving other matters 

 of legislation for further inquiry and consideration." z Among 

 these measures, the most important are: complete publicity 

 of rates with prohibition of increases without reasonable notice 

 to the public; prevention of the consolidation of parallel or 

 competing lines; prohibition of discrimination against lake or 

 river ports; and the establishment of a bureau of commerce 

 to collect information and report to Congress on such subjects 

 as rates and fares; classifications, rebates, and discriminations; 

 receipts and expenditures; amount and value of railroad stocks 

 and bonds; and amount and value of commodities transported. 

 Before this report was presented, a resolution had been intro- 

 duced and discussed in the Senate for instructing the Windom 

 committee to report a bill creating a commission to investigate 

 and report as to what legislation was constitutional, necessary, 

 and practicable for the regulation of interstate commerce. 3 No 

 action was taken on this resolution; and the same was true of the 

 McCrary bill received from the House, and of a bill introduced 

 by Senator Dorsey of Arkansas which proposed to establish a 

 national bureau of railroads, both of these measures being 

 referred to the Windom committee. 4 Shortly after the com- 

 mittee's report was received, three other bills providing in various 

 ways for the regulation of interstate commerce were introduced, 

 but the Senate failed to take any action on the subject. 



1 Windom Committee, Report, i. 242. * Ibid. 240-242. 



3 Senate Journal, 43 Congress, i session, 165, 173, 188; Congressional Rec* 

 941-944. 



4 Senate Journal, 383, 461. 



