“These constitute a portion of the leading features of the bill which we report to the House. It is believed that the enactment and enforcement of such a law will provide for the just and necessary abridgment of the monopoly powers of these corporations, and protect the people against unreasonable charges and extortionate exactions, and will at the same time not interfere with or embarrass the management of railroad corporations in anything which it is reasonable and just they should do. And the Committee believe it wiser and better to provide for the enforcement of the provisions of such a law through the instrumentality of the ordinary courts of justice, and by the judges and juries of the country than by the orders of a commission. The machinery of the courts is already in existence, and will require no additional expense, and is within convenient reach of the people everywhere, and is fully able to adjudicate all cases which may arise under this bill and by methods with which the people are familiar, while no plan of a commission which has been proposed could be conveniently accessible to all the people, and if a plan should be presented which would provide a jurisdiction convenient to all the people it would necessarily be cumbrous and very expensive. In this view a commission is unnecessary, unless it is the purpose of Congress to enter upon the detailed regulation of freight rates.” The rates charged in the United States are mainly governed by competition with water carriage, or between the companies themselves. Occasionally they are so reduced over large districts as to be totally unremunerative. As soon, however, as the struggle between competitors is ended, and an arrangement is arrived at, the rates are suddenly raised. The circumstances of England and the United States are so unlike that, even were those tribunals suited to the latter, no case would be made out for establishing here a Court armed with such powers. Here railway companies can make charges only within their statutory maxima; there, as a rule, no statutory maxima, or prohibitions of undue preference, similar to those enacted here, are known. Here no municipalities have largely subscribed to the capital of railways, no grants of public lands have been made to them, as have been freely done there.[95] [95] Poor’s Manual of Railroads for 1885 (page xv.) gives a list of Railroads of the United States sold under foreclosure. The following is a brief summary:-- Mileage. Capital Stock. Funded Debt. Floating Debt. m. $ $ $ 1882 668 20,751,457 23,999,065 10,073,769 1883 1,190 24,587,704 38,197,926 2,481,608 1884 714 12,894,000 13,061,000 422,533