Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-18

between railroad corporations ant
their customers; and it is provide,
in this instrument that the rates o
freights and fares which are fixet
by his commission, on any genera
schedule or any par icular contest
shall be deemed conclusively jus
a d reasonable.
Then if this Constitution goel
into effect, If this Board of Com
nissiOuers bee ,mes the ruliuf
power of this State, it will be O
very little use for you when yor
hnt that you cannot afford TO pack
your oranges am. send them to mar.
ket because of the railroad tariff
that is countenauced by the Rail.
road Com missioners, 1t will be ol
very little use for you to complain
to any of the ordinary tribunals oi
the cnuntry. Because you would
then be met by the Judges of the
land. who would hold their offices
under the same organic law, by the
statement that there was no appeal
from the determination of this ire.
sponsible Board, in respect to such
matter. So that when you find
that you must pay ST., l50 for trans.
porting a car load of oranges from
here To the city of st. Louis or the
city of Chmagn-which, believe,
is within $50 of the price for which
u carload OF oranges can be sold in
either one Of those cities--you must
hear that that charge of ST, ,150 is
copclusively just and reasonable,
and that, having been fixed by this
Board, you have no appeal with re
sprct 10 it..
Now this is proposed to you as
the "relief" from the evils that you
are laboripg under, from the op
preston under which your city Is
depressed, from the exactions un-
der which your property is being
d -precaled Yuu have asked for the
bread of beneticeut and appropriate
legislation, aud this Convention
has given you the stone represent
ed by this Commission.
Mr.. Cohen then proceeded to give
sketch of opinions and proceed.
lnss in the Convention leading up
to the adoption of the R,ilroad
Commission clause. He said that
when the proposition was first in-
Iroduced it was opposed by the
railroad lobby. But when Mr.
Laine, of San a Clara,-who saw
the worthlessness of the original
proposition a. an alleged anti-rail
road monopoly propo-ition-offere,i
clause providing that not more
than three cents mile should be
chargeh, those who represented the
railroad ut Sacramento became
alarmed lest this realty restraining,
b-neficent proposition should be
adopted. If that proposition had
been adopted as offered by Mr..
Laine, it would have given the peo
pie of this State the relief they
sought. LGreat applause. Bit
the moment the railroad company
saw that there was danger to them
in the threatened passage OF this
cl,use, when they saw that they
We're likely to be bound by this
iron expression of the will of the
people, about which they could
make no mistake and beyond the
| plain letter nf which they could not
go, the adherents and friends of the
railroad company upon the floor of
that Convention became very anx.
ious in favor of a Railroad Commits.
sion.
Mr.. Cohen said that if this Con.
stitution was adopted, the people
might AS we'll avoid the trouble oil
going to an election when Railroad
Com missioners were to be chosen.
He argued that, whoever was elect.
ed, it would certainly result in q
virtual triumph OF the railroad
m 'nopoly. Judging from all past
political experience in this State
the result of sach au election would
not tie Of any substantial benefit to
the people as against the railroad
monopoly management. N'"ss
there were men in the State,
less there were mon in that audi
ence who could not be corrupted in
that Office.
Mr.. Cohen argued, with many
Illustrations, that the Rliiroad
Company had the disposition, and
would evince it by every effort il
could put forth, to control any such
commission as was proposed Ia the
new Constitution. This Board
having supreme power would be
the only objective point at which
all the efforts Of the monopoly
would be directed. Every thing
would be made to bend to this; and
from Justice of the Peace up to
United States Senator, up and
down the whole catalogue of off
cials, there would be trading on
behalf of the monopoly In order to
secure control If the Com mission.
Mr.. Cohen insisted that the Rail
road monopoly desired the adop-
ton of the new Constitution. He
referred 10 many facts in support
of this belief. The cunning of Bis.
marck and the diplomacy Of Bea-
cons6eid were in his judgment
surpassed by the Machiave ian
astuteners OF the raj ilroad munipu
lators in this matter. They avowed
n bitter hostility to the proros cd
Constitutions and all their organs
and emlssarias were loud in denun.
ciatious OF the new instrument. Ii
would not have been so If the rail-
road monopoly was really opposed
to the new Constitution.
1 Mr.. Cohen referred to the fac
that there is an existing contrao
between the State and the Rail
road Company, which can at any
time reduce the rates of freight!
and fares. All the advantages un
4 r the present @ institution, with
respect to this contract, would b,
thrown away by approving tht
proposed organic Act.
Mr.. Cohen referred to the fact tha
he had desired to discuss the ques
tion OF the Railroad Commission
with Judge Terry before Los An
geles audience; and he regrette,
exceedingly that Judge Terry ha'
declined hil proposition. Hs ha,
no DOUBT, considering the msgnan
imous and ohivalrous CHARACTER O
Judge Terry, that the dpolinatiol