138 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



season tickets for those who traveled extensively. This may 

 have been a step on the part of the railroads to strengthen them- 

 selves with the traveling public, and thus indirectly a result 

 of the law, but the board condemned it as an injustice to the 

 great mass of travelers. 1 



As has already been shown, the commissioners could take no 

 steps for the enforcement of the maximum passenger fares, 

 other, than to advise the aggrieved parties to bring suit for the 

 recovery of five hundred dollars. In most cases the private 

 individuals refused to bring such action. The situation with 

 regard to the law prohibiting unjust discrimination and extortion 

 was somewhat different, the law allowing action to be brought 

 by state's attorneys in this case. Complaints of the violation 

 of the long and short haul clause of this law were numerous 

 and were attested by the very reports of the railroad companies. 

 The complainants, however, steadily refused to bring action 

 for the recovery of the one thousand dollar penalty allowed by 

 the law, the reasons alleged being the power of the railroad 

 companies to retaliate by denying them accommodations when 

 most wanted. Indeed, the board found it extremely difficult 

 to get authentic verified statements from the complainants, 

 but finally sufficient evidence was secured to warrant the initia- 

 tion of quo warranto proceedings against the Chicago and Alton. 2 

 The first annual report of the commission, which was laid before 

 the legislature in January, 187 2, 3 promised that this suit would 

 be " pressed with vigor at the earliest day practicable." 



This first report of the Illinois railroad and warehouse com- 

 mission also contained an illuminating discussion of the whole 

 problem of railway regulation, which shows that the members 

 of the board had been making a thorough study of the subject 

 and were prepared to take up advanced positions. The principal 

 burden of the report, however, was the inadequacy of the provi- 

 sions for enforcement and the inconsistencies of the laws of 

 187 1. 4 These subjects were also brought forward by the 



1 Railroad Commission, Reports, 1871, pp. 5, 24. 2 Ibid. 5-7. 



* Senate Journal, 1871, ii. 257; House Journal, 1871, ii. 726. 



4 Railroad Commission, Reports, 1871, pp. 5-8, 13-15, 18-23, 26. 



