conferences the select committee finally agreed upon a
bill which, in its opinion, would correct the evils complained of.

Even after the committee had agreed to the bill, I was not entirely
satisfied; I feared the existence of some absurdities, some features,
which the railroads could not possibly comply with; and so I asked
Senator Platt to meet me in New York, previously having arranged
with Mr. Fink and Mr. Blanchard, two of the great railroad men of
their day, and a gentleman representing specially the people's
interests, whose name I do not recall, but who had been interested
in securing regulation in New York and was an expert on the
proposition, to meet with us in that city. We all met as planned.
I stated that I desired to take the bill up with them, section by
section, paragraph by paragraph, and if anything absurd or
impracticable was found, or anything that could not be carried out,
attention should be called to it, and we would discuss it and amend
it if necessary. We went ahead on this line and were arguing over
some proposition, when Mr. Fink got up and remarked: "Let it go;
the whole thing is absurd anyhow." I arose and said that if that
was the attitude of the railroad men, when the committee's only
object was to report to the Senate a fair bill, that the conference
might as well end. The other members of the conference intervened
and said it was not fair that the chairman of the committee should
be treated in this way, that Senator Cullom was acting in absolute
good faith, whereupon Mr. Fink apologized, and the reading was
resumed, and some amendments made where found necessary.

And this incident recalls to mind another aspect of the investigation.
While the select committee was considering the subject, travelling
from city to city, the high railroad officials paid no attention
to us; rather, I might say, they avoided being called before us,
probably considering it a waste of time, as they had no serious
thought that anything would come of the investigation. They
considered the railroads superior to the laws of Congress, and
depended upon their old State charters. In those days they were
the most arrogant set of men in this country; they have since
learned that they are the servants and not the masters of the
people. But when the bill seemed pretty certain to pass, the
attitude of the railroad officials suddenly changed. They came to
Washington and complained that they had not been given th