and be heard in person or by
attorney, and every vote or official act of the commission must be
entered of record and its proceedings made public upon the request of
either party interested.

Section 19 provides that the principal office of the commission shall be
in Washington, but that for the convenience of the public it may hold
special sessions in any part of the United States.

Section 20 authorizes the commission to require annual reports from all
common carriers subject to the provisions of the act, to fix the time
and prescribe the manner in which such reports shall be made, and to
require from such carriers specific answers to all questions upon which
the commission may need information.

Section 21 excepts from the operation of the act the carriage of
property for the United States, State or municipal governments, or for
charitable purposes, or for fairs and expositions; also the issuance of
mileage, excursion and commutation tickets, the giving of reduced rates
to ministers of religion, the free carriage by a railroad company of its
own officers and employes, and the exchanging of passes or tickets among
the principal officers of railroad companies.

The sections not noticed are of minor importance, relating to annual
reports, salaries, appropriations of funds, etc.

The act was amended on March 2, 1889, but the amendments made did not
materially affect its principal provisions.

When the law was passed its friends well realized that its success would
greatly depend on the character of the commissioners whom it was
incumbent upon the President to appoint. It was feared that if the
railroad influence should control these appointments, the power to
suspend the long and short haul clause would be the chief and perhaps
the only power exercised by the commission. There was great danger that
the office of Interstate Commerce Commissioner might become a sinecure
for servile railroad lawyers, as similar State officers had been before,
and that a public trust might be turned into an additional corporation
agency for evil. The selection of the commissioners, and especially that
of Judge T. M. Cooley, of Michigan, was greatly to the credit of
President Cleveland. A man of unquestionable integrity, an eminent
jurist and close student of railroad affairs, Judge Cooley was
particularly well qualified for the office of chairman of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, which he occupied for nearly five years with signal