[So far as appears, there is no justification for this [There does not appear to be any ground for this [These letter and note heads and envelopes, it ap- [Passed over for want of sufficient vouchers or evi- [Passed over for want of sufficient vouchers, infor- [Passed over for same reasons as last above men- [Passed over for same reasons as last above men- Mr. HAY. I move that the report be laid on the table, and that the Committee on Accounts and Expenditures be authorized to have two hundred and fifty copies of the report printed for the use of the Convention, that members may examine it. The motion was agreed to. RAILROADS AND CANALS. Mr. D. W. PATTERSON. I move that we proceed to the consideration of the article on railroads and canals. The motion was agreed to, and the Convention resumed the consideration on second reading of the article on railroads and canals. The PRESIDENT pro tem. When the Convention adjourned on Saturday, the seventh section of the article as printed was before the Convention. Mr. COCHRAN. According to my recollection, when the Convention adjourned on Saturday, the motion pending was a motion to reconsider the vote by which the amendment of the gentleman from Lycoming (Mr. Armstrong) had been rejected. The PRESIDENT pro tem. It was. The pending question is on the motion of the gentleman from Philadelphia (Mr. Cuyler) to reconsider the vote by which the amendment offered by the gentleman from Lycoming (Mr. Armstrong) to the amendment of the gentleman from Allegheny (Mr. T. H. B. Patterson) was rejected. The reconsideration was agreed to, there being, on a division, ayes, thirty-seven; noes, thirty-one. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The amendment of the gentleman from Lycoming to the amendment is before the Convention. Mr. KNIGHT. Be kind enough to have it read. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The Clerk will read the amendment to the amendment. The CLERK. The amendment to the amendment was to insert, after the word "thereof," in the amendment, these words: "Persons and property transported by any such company shall be delivered at any station within the State, at charges not exceeding the charges for transportation of persons and property of the same class, in the same direction, to any more distant station; but commutation tickets to passengers may be issued as heretofore, and reasonable extra rates, within the limits of the charter, may be made in charges for any distance not exceeding fifty miles." Mr. WHERRY. I ask that the section, as it will be amended if this amendment shall be adopted, be read. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The amendment as it would read if amended as proposed by the gentleman from Lycoming (Mr. Armstrong) will be read. The CLERK read as follows: "No corporation engaged in the transportation of freight or passengers in or through this State shall make any discrimination in charges for the carriage of either freight or passengers between or against the people thereof. Persons and property transported by any such company shall be delivered at any station within the State at charges not exceeding the charges for transportation of persons and property of the same class in the same direction to any more distant station; but commutation tickets to passengers may be issued as heretofore, and reasonable extra rates within the limits of the charter may be made in charges for any distance not exceeding fifty miles." Mr. ARMSTRONG. I do not desire to reopen the debate upon the question, but there are some members who were not here when this question was taken be fore, and I merely call their attention to the fact that the effort has been in this proposed amendment to totally prohibit that which has been the great standing abuse against which the people of the Commonwealth have complained, namely, that freights are carried past stations on the line of a railroad and delivered at more distant points for less money than the company are willing to deliver them at points past which they must necessarily carry them. At the same time it is so guarded so as not to interfere with that sound discretion of the companies which is necessary to the safe transaction of business to enable them to compete succesfully with other railroad lines. I be lieve that with this amendment everything is guarded sufficiently to leave a sound discretion in the company and yet to protect the people against the evils which I have indicated. Mr. COCHRAN. I wish to call the attention of the Convention simply-I do not propose to go into a discussion of this question-to the fact there is nothing in this amendment which refers to special rates or drawbacks, and also that it will not meet, to a very great extent, the object which the gentleman from Lycoming, its author, proposes, as was stated here in the discussion on Saturday. I hope therefore that the amendment to the amend ment will not be adopted, and on its adoption I call for the yeas and nays. Mr. CAMPBELL. I second the call. Mr. ARMSTRONG. One word of explanation, as I do not propose to re-open the discussion upon this point— Mr. D. N. WHITE. I rise to a point of order. The gentleman has already spoken upon this subject. Mr. ARMSTRONG. I do not intend to to speak upon the question; I merely rise to an explanation. The CLERK. The original amendment was to strike out all after the word "section" and insert: "No corporation engaged in the transportation of freight or passengers in or through this State shall make any discrimination in charges for the carriage of either freight or passengers between or against the people thereof, nor make a higher charge for a shorter distance than for a longer distance; and no special rates or drawbacks shall, either directly or indirectly, be allowed excepting excursion and commutation tickets." Mr. T. H. B. PATTERSON. I desire to call the attention of the delegates to the fact that the only difference between my amendment and the amendment of the Mr. D. N. WHITE. I insist upon my gentleman from Lycoming is— point of order. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The Chair must decide the point of order well taken. Mr. BUCKALEW. A single word, President. Mr. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The gentle man from Columbia will give way for a moment. The yeas and nays have been demanded. Do ten gentlemen rise to second the call? More than ten gentlemen rose. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The call for the yeas and nays is sustained. The gentleman from Columbia will proceed. Mr. BUCKALEW. But a single word. I shall support this amendment because it contains some matters of which I approve and which are not in the section. I desire to call the attention of the Convention to the fact that after this amendment is agreed to, if the Convention sees fit to adopt it, it will be possible to amend it further by adding anything else; so that the clause which the gentleman from York refers to, and which he desires to have placed in the section, he can still move after this amendment is acted upon. I mention this in order that his objection may not militate against the adoption of the amendment on the present vote. Mr. CAMPBELL. Was there not an amendment previously offered,and is not this an amendment to the amendment? Mr. BRODHEAD. I protest against discussion at this point. The gentleman from Allegheny has on several occasions, just after the yeas and nays have been ordered, taken the floor in this manner in against it. The yeas and nays have been order to have the last word. I protest ordered. Let them be called. The PRESIDENT pro tem. The Chair will follow the rules of the House. The yeas and nays have been ordered and the Clerk will proceed with the call. The yeas and nays were taken with the following result: YEAS. Messrs. Addicks, Armstrong, Bigler, Black, Chas. A., Boyd, Brodhead, Broomall, Brown, Buckalew, Carter, Clark, Corbett, Cronmiller, Dallas, Edwards, Elliott, Fell, Fulton, Hall, Harvey, Hunsicker, Knight, Lamberton, Lilly, Littleton, MacConnell, Mann, Niles, Patton, Purman, Reed, Andrew, Simpson, Struthers, Turrell, Walker, Wetherill, J. M., Wetherill, John Price, Wherry and White, J. W. F-39. NAYS. Messrs. Alricks, Baer, Baily, (Perry,) Bailey, (Huntingdon,) Baker, Biddle, Calvin, Campbell, Cochran, Curry, De France, Ewing, Funck, Gilpin, Guthrie, The PRESIDENT pro tem. The gentle- Hemphill, Horton, Howard, Kaine, Lanman from the city is correct. There was dis, Lawrence, Lear, M'Culloch, M'Muran aziendment offered by the gentleman ray, Mantor, Newlin, Patterson, D. W., from Allegheny (Mr. T. II. B. Patterson) Patterson, T. H. B., Purviance, Sam'l A., pending, and this amendment is an Reynolds, Rooke, Ross, Russell, Smith, amendment to that amendment. H. G., Smith, Henry W., Smith, Win. H., Mr. CAMPBELL. Then I ask that that Temple, Van Reed, White, David N., amendment be stated. White, Harry and Worrell—41. |