Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-10
TIE REPORT OF TIE Transportation
COMMISSIONER.

~~4SpiOIt64ss
The report of the Transportation Com
nissionef for lS77-7S has been submitted
TO tie Legislature, and we print synopsis
Of it to-day In the light of the blind and
legislation incorporated with
he new Constitution this report is calcu-
ated to be instructive reading, though 1t
may be feared that those who insisted, in
the teeth of all the evidence extant, upon
making the organic law ridiculous in this
connection, are incapable of deriving any
enlightenment from the plainest records OF
experience. The report of the Trans
portation Commissioner IS bulky volume,
AID its size may intimidate the average
reader. But the kernel of the report is to
be found in comparatively small compass,
and this part should be carefully studied
by every member of the Legislature, and
especially by every member of the Com
mittees on Corporations. The sub articles
on Influence of Through upon Local
Rates, Discrimination, " Infiexlble
Rates, " Competition" Elements De-
termining Local Rates. Principles
Governing Railroad Rates." and the
Conclusion, are specially valuable, for
n these sections are discussed all the
questions which affect legislation upon
transportation. And the first fact to
to. lsbe noted is that the california
Transportation Commissioner has reached
the same conclusions and convictions
which the Massachusetts Railway Com
mission reached long ago, and which every
body of the kind has in turn reached, no
matter under what circumstances they
were created. The gist of this unanimous
discovery may be stated as a realization OF
the truth that all attempts to control
transportation by mere force are impracti-
cable, but that by a restrained supervision
all the security required for the protection
of the public can be obtained. The Mas.
sachusetts Board has put the case thus
. 1t is quite safe to say that the nature OF
this reform is little understood by even
''those engaged in the management Of
" railroads, much less the general pub
lie. 1t includes, however, the whole
principle of the regulation of railroads
"by supervision, as opposed to their regu.
lation by penal enactments. 1t is based
upon the conviction that the Sc.
we're compulsory legislation known as
" Grangerism, is not only in itself impolitic,
and opposed to the spirit of American
institutions, but it is also by no means
the most effectual way of remedying the
abuses incident to the rapid and peculiar
development of the railroad system. II
is an unreasoning appeal to force, to in
'stantly bring about an imagined result,
instead of reliance on the controlling
power of an educated public opinion,
resulting from full and patient discus.
sion. This has been the experience OF
legislators and Commissioners throughout
the civilized world, and it is therefore time
that the uniform results of variously ap-
piled experiments should be recognized as
determining the character of the agency
dealtwith, and as demonstrating the futility
of all merely coercive ways of regulating it.
If anything can be said to be thoroughly
established in regard to transportation, it
is the impracticability of regulating it
from a police standpoint. This, however,
is by no means the only fact about it
which ought to be regarded as settled.
Legislators who are ready to admit the
uselessness of penal legislation often
nevertheless imagine that it is possible to
amend what they deem abuses in the sys.
TEN of transportation. and there is moth
ing on which more time and labor have
been wasted than in the attempt to regu-
late through and way rates upon some
theory that will do away with. the infiu-
ence of competition and geographical ad-
vantages. 1t is necessary, however, to
realize that this question, too, has long since
been practically settled, and that those
who refuse to acknowledge its settlement
are only producing darkness by shutting
their own eyes,