Mr. HARDING, of Illinois. I do notdesign, under the calls for the regular order of business, to detain the House from the consideration of the subject which they have determined to consider at this time. I simply desire to say that the Operations of the railroads of the U.S. present facts of great importance to the country and furnish great reason for restraining and regulating legislation. The influence of these facts is manifested by the communications which every mail brings to us from the at West. The numerous meetings of the people in assem blies and in conventions, an their speeches, resolutions, and resolves, all manifest themselves so plainl that no member upon this floor can have faile to notice that discontent and complaint pervade the entire West. In this be lief, and referring to the numerous publications upon this subject I will leave the House to judge how important these facts must be, connected with the transportation system of this country, to produce so much attention in times of so much interest. tributions of individuals, an It is true, according to my observation, that beyond the neeessa imposition for the cost of transportation, exorbitant exactions, amountingtotheim(position ofexport and importduties, are impose upon the reductions of the agriculture of the West. H wish to be understood that the railroads of the country, especially in the West, are doing what Congress itselfis prohibited from doing by the constitution. We cannot levy an export duty, but the railroads do restrict commerce and completely and effectually suppress and inhibitit in many instances. In Illinois, for instance, ifgentlemen willlook, they will see that railroads constructed by land grants, constructed for the public use by cond) by taking (of ab lic) lands without compensation to individuals for right of way, are operating upon a system of charges exceeding. in some cases ten dollars a ton for 100 miles. Greater charges are exacted, for instance, from RockIsland to Davenport than are exacted from Pittsburg to Chicago. The combinations which existin reference to the means of transportation have destroyed all the ordinary competition in that business, and left the entire West at the mercy of these combinations. They almost control the entire channels of commerce throughout the country. The rivers, our last means of transportation, are about to shake hands with the railroads, and in many instances a union is already effected by which we pay the same rates upon the water that we do upon the railroads. It is already written in the “books” that “even now in the U.S. railroad coinl panics control legislation in many of the States; that the day for general combination is aproachin;” and it is already seen and felt, by. P. 5 my constituents at least, “that of all governments the most exhaustive and oppressive is that of the transporters.” When under the lead of the Vanderbilts and others, these lines on the rivers shall be completely combined with the railroads, we may well distrust the future of our count. I was gladdened by the una nimity with which this House asserted the power toaut orize transportation, and but for the provision giving the right to all railroads to demand unlimited compensation, I should have voted for it with all my heart. Ithen believed it released or tended to relax the obligations of landgrant railroads, and especially the Illinois Central, from cont, racts to transport for Government without coin ensation; and I now think that Congress should further assert this power to prevent oss impositions by these public agents upent e interests of the country. We can legislate to facilitate inland intercourse directly or indirectly by graduating taxation in on their earnings according to the charges by which these earnings are exacted, so as to limit them within fair bounds and now, sir, in this state of things, I ask the House to give to this subject such attention aswill enable them to vote relief at least to the constituents of the gentlemen from the West.