Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-10-10
Pennsylvania and the Railroads.

Pennsylvania and the Railroads.
A constitutional convention is now
in session in Pennsylvania. Several
amendments to its constitution are
proposed, which, if adopted as part
of the organic law, will effect radical
and sweeping changes. These amend
ments declare that all canals and rail-
roads in the State are public highways,
free to all persons to use them on equal
terms, according to fixed rules and
rates, without invidiOus discrimina-
tion, and subject to the general laws.
Any individual partnership or cOrpo-
ration may construct and operate a
railroad or canal in Pennsylvania, SUBJ
ject only to the condition of paying rea-
sonable compensation for public or pri-
vate property used, injured or destroy
ed. Any railroad may inte'rsect and
connect with any other railroad, and
may pass its ears, empty or loaded,
over such other railroad, and no dis
elimination shall be made in passen-
ger or freight tolls, and tariffs on per-
sons or property, passing from one
railroad to another, and no unnecessary
delay interposed in the forwarding of
such persons and property to their des-
tination. Transportation companies
and their lessees and managers are pro-
hibited from owning, leasing or con-
trolling competing lines, and the ques-
tiOn as to whether railroads or canals
are parallel or competing lines shall
always be decided by jury in trial
according to the course of the common
law. All railroads, canals and joint
stock companies shall forever be sub
ject to taxation, and the power to tax
the same shall not be surrendered or
suspended by any contract or grant to
which the State shall be a party.
Railroad companies doing business
ascommon carriers are prohibited from
engaging, directly or indirectly, in
mining or manufacturing articles for
transportation. They shall not ac-
quire any lands, except such as may
be necessary for the business of COM
mon carrying. But any mining or
manufacturing company may carry
the products of its mines and manu-
factories on its railroad or canal not
exceeding fifty miles in length. No
corporation shall issue stocks or bonds
except for money, labor or property
actually received; and all fictitious in
crease Of stock or Indebtedness shall
be void; the stock and Indebtedness OF
corporations shall not be increased eX-
cept in pursuance of general law, nor
without the consent of the persons
holding the larger amount in value of
the stock first obtained, at meeting
Of which sixty days. notice shall be
given. No street railroad shall be con-
structed without the consent of the
local authorities. Free passes except
for officers and employees of compa-
ny, are prohibited. The Legislature
is authorized to adopt suitable regula-
latiOns, ia accordance with the funda-
mental principles of the Constitution
The laws and regulations are to be
general, and special legislation and
grants are absolutely prohibited. The
Secretary of Internal affairs of Penn
sylvania is invested with a general
supervision Of railroad and canals, and
charged with the administration of all
laws i'm relation to them.
Let our Assemblymen and Senators
ponder these questions deeply. They
may not all be the best--they proba-
bly, are not. but there certainly is a
vast improvement over the system
that has been in this and i'm fact all
other States. The coming Legisla-
tors will be called upon to do some.
thing in this direction for California.
Let them be prepared to do it, and do
it well.