RAILWAY LEGISLATION 167 



three bills, to establish a tariff of freight rates, to regulate 

 passenger fares, and to create a board of railroad commissioners, 

 were passed in the House by large majorities; but again 

 all legislation on the subject was blocked in the Senate, though 

 the votes in that body were very close. 1 



By this time the demand for railroad regulation had become 

 so strong that the political parties found it advisable to take 

 cognizance of the question in their bids for votes and the plat- 

 forms of both Democrats and Republicans in 1870 and 1871 

 contained planks asserting the right of the state to control 

 railroads and demanding legislation on the subject. 2 The 

 action of the legislature in 1872 was much the same, nevertheless, 

 as that of preceding general assemblies. 3 Among the many 

 railroad measures introduced at this session, 4 the most significant 

 was one known as the O'Donnel bill, 5 fixing freight rates, which 

 passed the House by vote of 82 to 13. In the Senate this bill 

 was amended by adding sections providing for an elective com- 

 mission with power to alter the schedules established by the act, 

 and then passed, the vote being 26 to 23. The House refused 

 to concur in the amendment; the Senate by close votes refused 

 to recede; 6 three conference committees failed to procure an 



the next general assembly, see Senate Journal, 1868, pp. 27, 227, 283, 435; 

 House Journal, pp. 28, 107, 116, 143, 232, 282, 364, 379, 462, 487, 490, 581-583, 

 601-609. 



1 Senate Journal, 1870, pp. 42, 54, 71, 117, 121, 129, 163, 168-170, 193, 203, 212, 

 219-221, 224-226, 233, 239, 247, 251, 254, 362, 365, 378, 454, 465, 554; House, 

 Journal, 1870, pp. 39, 90, 115, 170, 180, 187, 196, 218, 224, 241, 254, 272, 280, 300, 

 310, 400, 434, 437, 443, 540-542; McNutt, in Cloud, Monopolies and the People, 

 167; C. R. Tuttle, Illustrated History of the State of Iowa, 351. 



2 American Annual Cyclopedia, 1870, p. 408, 1871, p. 416. 



3 Both Governor Merrill in his annual message and Governor Carpenter in his 

 inaugural address urged railroad legislation. House Journal, 1872, pp. 34, 62-64; 

 Tuttle, Iowa, 358. 



4 For titles of bills introduced, see House Journal, 1872, pp. 80, 146, 388; Senate 

 Journal, 1872, pp. 28, 35, 163, 326, 390. 



6 For the legislative history of the O'Donnel bill, see House Journal, 1872, pp. 80, 

 429, 485-487, 530, 781-783, 825-827, 861; Senate Journal, 1872, pp. 413-415, 

 466-468, 474-476, 478-480, 482, 522, 612-615, 654-656. A Senate bill with a 

 similar title was passed by the Senate by vote of 23 to 22, but was not acted upon 

 by the House. Ibid. 326, 357-359. 



8 Senator McNutt makes a statement with reference to the O'Donnel bill which 



