Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-10-04
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION,
A Card to the People From the Republican
Candidates.
To the PeOple of Tennessee:

A Card to the People From the Republican
Candidates.
| To the People of Tennessee:
The undersigned having been
nominated by the Republican party
as candidates for railroad cOmmiss-
toner's, beg leave to say that in their
opinion the act creating railroad
commission in this State should not
have been passed. That said act
was passed for the purpose of Great
ing new offices 10 be- filled by men
who had done party service and
was not lcrea ted& because the rail-
roads in this State had been viola
ting the provisions of their charters
and unjustly discriminating against
the people of the State. If the
pretended grievances had been real,
the act creating said commission
would not have exempted railroads
now IN process of construction or
hereafter to be constructed from the
operations of said act. The effect of
the exemption in favor of new
roads would allow them to practice
for ten years the supposed grievan-
ces complained of. A number of
the railroads in this State have been
in operation for more than twenty
years, and in 1888, after said rail
roads had reduced the charges for
the carriage of passengers and
freight below what their charters
allow them to charge, it all at once
occurred to seme of theleaders of the
Democratic party that a railroad
commission was greatly needed in
Tennessee. If the railroads have
been so outraging the rights of the
people, we ask why wait until 1888
to create commission?
We are not candidates in the or
binary acceptation ofthe term, for If
elected we do not propose toreceive
one cent of the emOluments of the
office, for the reason that we believe
the main feature of tbs. act uncon-
stitutional and void The DIGESTION
presentedto the people of Tennes-
see is, as to whether the legislature
has the power to deprive corpora
tons Of their vested rights so long
us they keep within the limits of
their charters.
We believe that the commission |
has greatly retarded the growth and |
prosperity of the State by proven
ting the building of contemplated |
roads through various portions of |
the State. We submit for consider |
alton the number of miles of rail- |
road constructed in six States in a |
little more than twelve months, |
three of which have commissions |
and three of which have none.
With Commissions With no Com.
miles Florida ........245 miles \
S'th Car.-..401 5miles Mississippi. 1862 miles
Tennessee 40 miles Louisiana -.2SS miles
Total ..l4515 miles Total........S45 miles
At this time there are on file in
the office of the secretary of the
State more than fifty charters for
new railroads, which, if construct
ed, would perneate every county
in the State. A large majority of
these charters have been granted
since 1880. No work is being done
on any of these various lines of road.
We want more railroads and better
ones one competing line of road is
worth more to the people than
dozen missions.
While we want the rights of the
citizen fully protected against any
unjust determinations on the part
Of railroads, we want to see such
legislation as will invite capital to
our State, fully protect the rights OF
all, and develop the resources of
Tennessee w. w. MURRAY