RAILWAY LEGISLATION 22$ 



commerce. 1 Mr. Reagan again introduced his bill early in the 

 first session (1879), and several other railroad bills were intro- 

 duced in both houses, but none of them was reported from the 

 committees. 2 The next session (1879-80) saw the introduc- 

 tion of another batch of bills and resolutions on the subject. 

 Finally, toward the close of the session, the House committee 

 on commerce reported three bills, one of which was similar in its 

 provisions to the Reagan bill. 3 These did not come up for consid- 

 eration until the third session of this Congress (i 880-81), when, 

 after a brief debate in the House, the subject was dropped again. 4 

 It seems probable that one reason for the failure to get the 

 Reagan bill enacted into law was the feeling that it was but a 

 half-way measure at best. This is indicated by the action of 

 the National Grange at its session in November, i88o. 5 A 

 resolution was reported by a committee, favoring the passage 

 of the bill " now pending before Congress and commonly known 

 as the Reagan bill." By vote of 33 to n, the Grange amended 

 this by adding the words " so amended as to prevent extortionate 

 freights on all lines of railroad engaged in interstate commerce," 

 and finally a substitute was adopted which made no mention 

 of the Reagan bill. Later on, however, another resolution was 

 adopted declaring : 



That while the bill now pending before Congress to regulate inter-State 

 commerce, commonly known as the Reagan Bill, does not, in the judgment 

 of the National Grange, correct all the evils of railroad transportati9n, yet 

 we accept it as a beginning of railroad legislation, and urge upon Subordi- 

 nate Granges and farmers to petition their representatives in Congress to 

 support and vote for it. 6 



1 House Journal, i session, 712 (index under " Interstate commerce "); 2 ses- 

 sion, 1645; 3 session, 687; Senate Journal, i session, 340; 2 session, 116, 152; 

 3 session, 531. See also remarks of Mr. Conkling in Congressional Record, 2508. 



2 House Journal, 115, 140, 150, 160; Senate Journal, 30. 



3 House Journal, 35, 69, 71, 155, 180, 229, 246, 346, 433, 594, 630, 903, 1215; 

 Senate Journal, 371, 437, 450; Congressional Record, 1154, 1862, 1864, 2506-2510. 



4 House Journal, 37, 59, 126, 150, 187, 312, 458, 554; Congressional Record, 

 17, 48, 362-366, 1154. 



6 National Grange, Proceedings, xiv. 28-31, 46-48, 62, 69, 74-79, 89-94, 144, 

 151, 156 (1880). See also ibid. xv. 19-22, 97-101, 143, xvi. 13 (1881, 1882). 



8 A resolution was also adopted thanking those members of Congress who had 

 supported the Reagan bill. 



