The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-08-29
A Railroad Commission the ming.

4
MANY ways to circumvent them. Find
ing the popular current running strong
Ia favor Of supervisory legislation, in
stead Of opposing it. as they have been
doing, and try to stop it, they viii
mount it and claim TO be original simon
pure friends of the policy, and then they
viii take care tOPropose precisely such
supervision as viii not supervise. They
viii divide the councils of the super
visonists by muddying the waters and
advocating all sorts of impraetieable
snd Intellectual measures. For example,
they. viii insist on a Law making extor-
ton and discrimination in favor Of one
locality, or one sett Of persons, against
others, BY common carriers, a penal Of
fence. But who Is to decide what Is extor-
ton, or discrimination when complaint is
mades 1t would result in endless eontro-
yersy in the courts to determine what
are extortion and discrimination, and
the battle must needs to be fought over
and over again in each particular case.
Such law would be fruitless in every /
thing but fees for attorneys, perplexity
for courts, and disappOintments and |
costs to litigants.
The experience of other States points /
the only effectual way to such super
vision as will be just to the companies
and to the public. Il is to establish
Commission consisting of capable and
honest men, part OF whom should be
versed in the intricacies OF railroad
economy, and competent to TX tolls
yielding reasonable compensation, and
fair to all. A Mississippi legislator
could not go amiss by taking the laws
of Georgia, Illinois, or Missouri as
models. They have all stood the test Of
actual experiment and under their ben
/ efcert operations those States have
) prospered. Railroad building has not
been discouraged, but encouraged, and
the public have been protected in their
their right to pay reasonable charges
] only.
1t is urged that a Railroad Commits
sion will cost the people annually in
/, salaries, say $4,000; and this sum is
: held up as a terrible bugbear. 1t
would undoubtedly be returned one
hundred times over to the people. The
expenditure would be made up in the
saving to the taxpayers which would
/: be accomplished at any second rate
D depot. And the companies would be
II benefited by the increased amount of
l. travel and transportation, which the as
surauce of just and reasonable rate
G of tolls would produce.
The well-informed members of the
r. bar will concede that Chief Justice
+ Cody, of Michigan, is one of the great
est jurists of his generation. His mind
r is clear as a silver bell, and his reason
ing is calm and dispassionate. Now
r here is what this great jurist says in
a recent contribution to a popular
P monthly, of the Uses and benefits Of
Commission to corporations and people
= The facts above stated indicate wha
seems to me the chief need of Railroad
a. Commission. The railroad Interests
.. and the public stand in apparent
antagOnism, which frequently and need
~ lessly becomes real antagonism. Blu
e they ought to be in harmony and mu
lg tual prosperity. The more prosperous
the railroads are, the better are the
able to perform the services for which
r. they are created. To deny them reason
te able compensation, to cripple or hampe
Is them By needless and vexatious legisla
IN ton, TO load them down with unreason
able burdens, will appear a. impoliti
from the standpoint of public interest a
&c it would be for an employer to put hi
servant ON short allowance, or to com
pei him to carry weight at his labor. II
on the other hand, as is not uncommon
u ~ believed, the railroad managers some
Err times invite unfriendly treatment by a
nj. summing a mastery where their Just posi-
ton is one of agency, by disregard Q
.o- law, by extOrtion and by favoritism, til
:, impolicy of conduct on their part
J equally plain and equally mischievoui
le- The first and most important duty G
ra- a railroad commissioner will be, to stan
,lv as a friendly umpire between the publ
:, on the one hand and the railroad int
ao est serving it on the other. He shoul
ess be given power to examine into a
it. the details Of railroad work, TO invest
.o+ gate local complaints of unfair charg,
or determinations, of unreasonable maj
ne agement of trains, or of delays, of Of
EN- struction of highways, and the immune
in able annoyance and dangers of which IL
nt public has, or thinks it has, occasion
- complain; to examine the condition
Isl the road, the safety of bridges and 9th,
On structures; whether proper regulation
ng of police are established and enforced
m. protection against calamities; and
:: should be his duty to bring to the atte
'S ton of the railroad managers, in an a
thoritative way, and neglect, omission
misconduct in which the public wou
roc be concerned He should prepare hin
self to give authoritative and reliable i
formation as a basis for public jud
se' ment on railroad affairs and his impa
urt tial position and standing should
ers such that his information will be acce
ges ted without any of the suspicion whit
md is is so likely to accompany that whit
mt is furnished by the railroad compani
~ themselves. 1t cannot admit of dou
that competent and suitable comm
sion, occupying this position, could be
's'- incalculable advantage, not only to t
NE public, but to the railroad interest.
But lest it be said that the great Chi
,er. Justice himself is not an impartial "
on ness, we will supplement his testimol
Of with that Of the st. Louis Register,
railroad organ par ercelLenos, and prot
the bly, the ablest in the United States
lily its issue of June 10th, 1888, in the CO
the clusion of an article on the subject
Railway Commissioner it says:
ure If we could have in every State, Boar
I'M of Railway Commissioners, composed
q. honest and skillful men, who would n
be misled by popSlar clamor on the
1eo trigues of selfish politicians, but W
rly would with patience investigate t
of great transportation problems of t
- times and act with caution and jud
~ ment, State, people and companies sc0s
hen al Be the gamers and rGiliCay stocks tcO,
PHI Be ,cOrtk more and fiEctHafe less IN raj
his Nothing can be clearer. Let I
res friends of supervision take their sta
d.. in favor of Commission, and fight
in out on that line till they win.
an
The Vicksburg Herald claims th