178 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



The act of 1878, by which the Granger law of Iowa was prac- 

 tically repealed, was passed by votes of 55 to 43 in the House 

 and 29 to 21 in the Senate. 1 The affirmative votes on this 

 measure appear to have come from three classes; those who 

 were controlled by the very active railroad lobby; those who 

 were actually convinced that the law was a detriment to the state, 

 especially representatives from districts where additional rail- 

 road facilities were desired; and those who, like Senator Larra- 

 bee, felt that the law of 1874 had not been enforced, in spirit 

 at least, and preferred a commission without a schedule of 

 maximum rates to a schedule without a commission to enforce 

 it. 2 With the law of 1878 3 the pendulum of railroad regula- 

 tion in Iowa swung almost to the opposite extreme. Although 

 the sections of the old law relating to classification of roads, 

 passenger fares, and reports of companies were retained, the 

 freight sections were entirely repealed, and the board of com- 

 missioners which was established was given no power except 

 to investigate, recommend, and report to the governor and 

 legislature. 



Whether this substitution of an advisory commission for the 

 statutory schedule of maximum rates, as a means of regulating 

 railroads, was accomplished with the approval of a majority 

 of the people or was the result of manipulation of the legislature 

 by the railroad interests is a question upon which the evidence 

 is conflicting, 4 and which cannot be answered with any degree 



1 For governor's messages, see Legislative Documents, 1878, i. no. i, p. 27 (New- 

 bold); Appleton's Cyclopedia, 1878, p. 445 (Gear). For references to petitions, 

 which were again numerous, see House and Senate Journals, 1878, indexes. For 

 bills introduced or legislative action, see House Journal, 1878, pp. 113, 117, 159, 

 285, 334-337, 342-345, 495J Senate Journal, 1878, pp. 315, 350-368, 381. 



2 Larrabee, Railroad Question, 334; Dixon, State Railroad Control, 28; Peter 

 Dey, " Railroad Legislation in Iowa," in Iowa Historical Record, ix. 558; Cullom 

 Committee, Report, ii. 945, 1002, 1057. 



3 Laws, 1878, ch. Ixxvii; Railroad Commission, Reports, i. appendix, pp. clxxxvii- 

 cxciv. For discussions of the law, see Dixon, State Railroad Control, part ii. ch. i ; 

 Larrabee, Railroad Question, 335; Cullom Committee, Report, ii. 945-947; Rail- 

 road Commission, Report, i. 50-79. 



4 Cullom Committee, Report, ii. 944, 958, 1002, 1057; Larrabee, Railroad 

 Question, 335; Dixon, State Railroad Control, 28; Railroad Commission, Reports, 

 i.3- 



