, 1875-02-07
TIE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
pY Of The ChicdcD TRIBUNE:

| To the Editor Of The CHICAGO TRIBUNE:
BupA, ILL.,, Fob 3.-Abolish the Railfond Com
mission Of this State. It is too hard times to
pay cash for experimental nnusements, and not
ret even those. This State has been paying
$500 per annum to each Of three men for
nearly two years, not to note Il duplicate sum
squande1ed on cio1k-hire, and many
times that amount for thousands of reams
of public printing that have gone into
multitude Of waste~baskets: and all that these
th1eo men might play managers OF the rnilway
interests of tho State. They have done almost lit
eral1y nothing but increase public taxation to the
extent Of their wastago. And it occurs to me-
that, when so expensive an Office has been run
two ears without meeting the objects OF its
creation in any particular it is high timo for the
people, in power behind the Legislature, to rise
and demand the extinction Of that office.
What can any man put his finger on as the &C.
compishment Of these officials which in any way
compcnsates the State for their cost? Simply
nothing. They hare not even half-gtatihed the
sweeping prejn1ices. Of some count1ymen
against railroads. For by so1no it was
supposed they wero created sor tho
great work Of restoring the State to
It's primitive wildness, idlerees, and poverty. By
showing tho monopolies who is master aud can
do the cr1shiug-out business. And vet they
bavo s'crushed out" only . feW OF the weaker
lines; md that not 30 much by what they have
dore as BIZ the alarm created BY their appoint
ment- when capital supposed they wo7ld
do what they were appointed 10 do,-enlorce
the law, thereby proving that Weakness and
vlckedness we're its rather than their own. It
will take them as many III FIVE years to frighten
the rest Of the roads into bankruptcy and leave
tho farmer to market his corn and pork as he
used toby wagon, and q week to q load.
This t1iumyirato Of regulators spent the
first six months OF it's existence iu
watching pack OF clerks cipher ont
examples in arithmetical progression
by the Thousand, till the pro-rata foolery became
a big thing on paper. The noxt few months it
spent in buster and belligerent undcrta kings
with few lawsuits on 10-cent quarrels. And
apple trees OF toasted its collective shins at tho
done nothing in the llno Of the great business it
was brought into the ohice-world for. but
draw it's salary with the pnnctua}lty ofcc-holdess
are famous for, and occasionally dropping q line
to tho Attorney General limiting that it Mas about
time to begin another lawsuit, just for effect
to cut of complaint. Not single point in the
LAM has been settled, beyond the point Of general
dissatisfaction With tho neglect of it's op-
portunities By thoBo 10 charge Of it.
Why, the Commissioners ought to have 500 OF
1000 suits on the court dockets Of tho State 80
TINT they could crush ont the monopoGes with.
the weight Of lawyers fees, il no other way.
The State Government has no other US profit
less and expensive appondnga as this Railroad
Coulmission. 1t has been tried and found want
ing in any good thing, and may be abolished with
Ereat profit to all concerued-excepting the
Coumissioners. Il. HUMPHREY.