Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-02-08
Variant Views.

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Variant Views.
Mr.. Del Wales resolution instructing
our Senators and Representatives to OPP
pose the consolidation OF the Southern
Pacific and Louisiana system Of railways
has given rise to very interesting news.
paper controversy between the Examiner
and tie Oakland Times. The metropol-
titan organ Of the Democracy champions
the resolution with great zeal. 1t goes
SO far as to denounce, by very strong
Implication, as bribed, the Senators who
shall be found, at the critical stage, OBJ
posing the passage Of this resolution,
and threatens with its wrath all who
shall fail to come to taw. This is Ger.
tainly IN extreme position to take, es
pecially in view OF the Examiners de-
served partizan influence. 1t would be
something like adding injury to insult
Our contemporary jnstiiies its feryid
position on the ground that, II Congress
should pass the consolidation bill, it
would make the Southern Pacific
United States corporation, and thus
enable it to escape all State and county
taxation on the plea that it was crea-
ture Of the general government That
provision Of the consolidation act which
constitutes the combined corporation a
government mail carrier is especially
partieularized by the Examiner rs the
fundamentally through which all local
regulation of the road would be made
impossible. II our esteemed San Fran
cisco contemporary were correct in these
assumptions we could sympathize with
the severity Of its invectives against
those who voted to refer Mr.. Del Wales
resolutions 10 ihe committee ON Federal
Relations, although We should have
great reserve in attributing such gross
motives to those Senators who 80 voted
for that reference. But there are GER
tain other aspects Of the question which
deserve in oil fairness, to be considered.
The Hon. John P. Irish, in his paper,
the Oakland Times, devotos himself to
views Of the matter which have been
altogether overlooked by the Examiner.
In the first place, as to the
consolidation of the several roads,
he is disposed to accept the
claim Of tho companies concerned that
greater economy in the management Of
the roads would result from their con-
solidation, and that thus passengers, and
immigrants especially, could be carried
TO this coast all the more cheaply.
Waving this minor feature of the con-
troyersy, the Times points out the fact
that it would be very rash and inexpedi-
ent to admit that the mere fact that the
new corporation was created by act OF
Congress would release il from State aud
iOcai uction. pucu M uuilisSioh Nouii
at once, according to the Examiners
theory, place the Central Pacific, Texas
Pacific, Northern Pacific ETC., ETC., be-
You'd the regulation of the States. That
such is the logical effect of the E.ramin-
er's argument connot be denied Grant
ing its premises and the conclusion of
the Times follows as matter OF course.
We have no doubt our esteemed San
Francisco contemporary is acting from
the best motives, and we recognize the
ability and vigor which generally char
acterizo its editorial columns. In the
present case we think it has jumped to
conclusions too hastily and that it would
do graceful act by roconsidering its
position and being little less sweeping
in its denunciation. However, nobody
has constituted us our brothers keeper,
and our able contemporaries on the Bay
are certainly capable Of attending to their
respective shares in a quite animated
debate. The HERALD, like the Times,
holds and always will hold until the
Supreme Court of the United States de-
cides otherwise, that whether the
franchise Of railway has emanated from
the nation or the State the latter his
the power to regulate fares and freights
and to tax within its borders. This in
no whit trenches upon the constitution
al right of Congress to regulate inter
state commerce. In addition, we do
not believe that the Supreme Court OF
the United States will ever decide to
the contrary. Sharing the benefits
of an organized government to
which the State, counties and
cities Of the Union contribute in twenty
times the proportion OF the national
government, those corporations should,
of course, participate in all the expenses
of its maintenance. No one need fear
an adverse decision on this point from
the tribunal of last resort in the United
States. Should it ever be made there is
little doubt that popular uprising
would follow which would very quickly
result in a change in the personnel OF
that body.