The Life and Services of Shelby M. Cullom (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from The Life and Services of Shelby M. Cullom In the year 1830, the same year that the "Dewitt Clinton" so bravely pulled the first American railway train, a man child, less than one year old, was brought by his parents from Wayne County, Kentucky, to Tazewell County, Illinois. This babe was named Shelby, after Governor Shelby, an early and distinguished Governor of the state of Kentucky. This babe grew to manhood, nourished and hardened by the clean, frugal, open air life of the Illinois prairie. After half a century of industry and training, at the bar and in public life, in that most interesting period of our State's history, we find him a matured and trained lawyer, a successful politician, honored by his State as its Chief Executive. As Governor we find him studying and solving the question of railroad regulation. We see him step from the Governor's office into the United States Senate. At once he brings to that distinguished body his experience in railway legislation, and, within four years after entering the United States Senate, he writes upon our National Statute books the most constructive and progressive economic act ever passed by our National Legislature, "The Act to Regulate Interstate Commerce, " commonly known as the "Cullom Act." The passage of this act of Congress is generally looked upon as the crowning piece of work in the career of Shelby M. Cullom. It will be in connection with this great law that his name will go down in history. The act was constructive because it curbed a great industrial evil without injury to the rights of property. It created an eminent tribunal which felt its way so carefully and administered its duties so wisely that Congress gradually added to its powers until finally the great interstate railway systems have been brought to the realization that they are public servants and not commercial masters. The act was progressive because it was the first real act of Congress exercising the power to regulate commerce among the States, a power that had lain dormant for practically one hundred years. It blazed the way for the passage of numerous acts based upon the National power to regulate commerce among the states, until this power is recognized as the seat of most of the authority in Congress to legislate for our commercial and industrial welfare. The free exercise of this power has made us one people, commercially, and has completely laid the very ghost of State's Rights. The subject of this sketch, Shelby M. Cullom, has been presented thus far, by a portrayal of the accomplished act of a matured man. The purpose in thus presenting the subject is, that we may have clearly in mind a full realization that this noble son of Illinois, who has but a few days since passed to the great beyond, this man whom many considered behind the times, one of the old guard, a practical politician of the old school, a time serving office holder, possibly lacking in initiative, was in fact a great public spirited soul, who patiently, ploddingly and courageously, almost single handed, attacked in its stronghold one of our most strongly entrenched special interests, made that special interest amenable to the law and emancipated a people who were on the verge of industrial slavery. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com