Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1879-01-18
AT The STATE CAPITAL.
OBSERVATIONS OF A "TIMES,
ATTACHE DURING A RE.
CENT SOJOURN
THERE.
How the Dignified Statesmen Kill
Tfme-A Point ON Which They
Appear UnenimOus-A Resolu-
'ion Of Questionable Policy
Notes on Various Subjects-Etc.

siOn of Questionable Policy
Notes on Various Subjects-Etc.
The life of the average legislator
is dull enough, in Carson jsst now.
At IL o'clock in the morning the
Senate and House meet, sit for
about three quarters of an hour, and
then adjourn for the day. During
the remainder of the twenty-four
hours the members have next to
nothing to do, and are compelled to
kill time by lounging in hotel bars
or faro rooms. Quite number,
however, avail themselves of the free
passes tupplied by Superintendent
Yerington to 60 to Reno, Gold Hill,
or Virginia, To stay over night.
The ability of the Legislature, as
whole, is favorite theme with
all press writer's from Carson, and the
opinions expressed on this subject
are as varied as numerous. Mem
bers who were in the preceding
Legislature are generally of the opin-
ion that the present is composed of
good average, if somewhat raw and
inexperienced material, and that the
errors made during the current ses-
session will be more of omission than
of commission. --
DESIRE TO "CINCH THE RAILROADS"
There is one point upon which the
whole Legislature seems to be fully
agreed. This may be expressed, in
the dialect of the Comstock, as a de-
sire TO "cinch the railroads" The
members all know that they have
been elected on platforms positively
and most emphaticalIy pledging them
to regulate the vexed railroad fares
and freights question. They know
that, if they fail in this, their CON
stituents can justly accuse them of
neglect Of duty. Many of the legis-
lators are honest men, and want to
carry out their pledges. But they
don't know how 10 90 to work about
it. To be sure, many of them have
introduced bills or resolutions SEEM
ingly bearing upon the end in view;
but (f Senator Boardman's bill,
which was introduced Thursday, be
excepted) not one of them will have
the effect desired, and they will only
serve to confuse the vast majority of
legislators by their multiplicity and
extent. This would be very salts
factory state of affairs for the rail-
road companies, and it is not impos-
sible that they have done their best
thus far TO bring it about. The reso-
luton introduced last Wednesday by
Senator Westeriied seems to be one
of the measures which are likely 10
please the railroad companies. 1t is
as follows:
Resolved, That special commit
tee of three be appointed by the
President, whose duty it shall be TO
obtain from the secretaries or man
aging agents of the Central Pacific
Railroad Company, the Virginia an d
Truckee Railroad Company, and the
Palisade and Eureka Narrow Gauge
Railroad Company, schedule Of
prices charged by each of said rail
road companies, per mile, for fares
and freights in the State of Nevada;
together with the number of miles
OF railroad belonging to each of
them In this State, with names of
stations on their roads and distances
from station to station on their re-
spective roads in this State; togeth-
er with the amounts charged for
fares and freights between said sta
tons; and that said committee re-
port to this Senate, at as early day
as possible, all the facts pertaining
to fares and freights on the afore-
said railroads.
This resolution is very vague, too
lengthy, and generally unsatisfacto-
ny. "All the facts relating to fares
and freights," Great God! A COM
pilation of ALL tho facts relating to
railroad fares and freights would re-
quire years of arduous labor to pre-
pare, and years to read. If the SEN
ate will only be satisfied with this,
and delay legislation until the reso-
luton Is complied with, the rail-
road companies will have no furth-
err trouble this session, as it is SIM
ply IMPOSSIBLE for them to comply!
II Senator Westerfield or any 9th
er Senator or Assemblyman really
wants to obtain the information re-
quired to enable the Senate to act
intelligibly on the question, all that
| 10 paoass~rv ia sim plv to draft n bill