Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-04
THE mIyoRITY REPORT SIGNED BY ".
". FOOTB.

John T. Doyle, over the signature of w.
". Foote, Railroad Commissioner for the
Third District of the State of California.
has written a review of the annual report
OF the majority of the Board of Transports
ton Commissioners.
Mr. Doyle makes Mr. Foote say; ia
the brief time allotted me in the prepare
ton of this report t.rom the 7Jh~day OF
January, 1854, to the date hereoD, and
with no knowledge Of the contents of the
majority report, except such as was afford.
ed me by the perusal of the hssty tran
scHption made by our stenographer, it has
been impossible to present to you many
phases Of the transportation question
which are well worthy of notice and discus
sion
This extract is an exact key to the whole
performance Mr. Foote has been Railroad
Commissioner for the laird District since
tie fret day of January, 1883 He has
sought IN every conceivable way to attract
attention 20 himself and to the official posi-.
ton held ny MIN.
This etIor! raised the presumption that
toose vas acting in the capacity Of Com
missioner for the Third District, but the
review Of the majority report over his sig.
nature, and the above quotation extracted
theroirom, IS broad. complete and open
confession that Mr.. Foote's position on the
Board hss been merely nominal that he
has no original ideas Of the matters over
which the Board exercises jurisdiction
that be has not made the subject Of trans,
portation : study that he has not quail.
fed himself for the discharge of the duties
the office he holds imposes that during
all the time which has elapsed since be en-.
tered upon the discharge of the duties of
bis otf,e ne has acted merely as an Oh.
ieotor and an obstructionist; that he has
not accumulated any valuable data on the
subject that he has not qualified himself
to lead rational public opinion thst he
was not competent to write minority re.
port from the standpoint Of affirmative
convictions or opinions; and that, by
reason Of al these various disqualified.
lions, ne found himself in the dilemma Of
being forced 20 give silent acquiescenca to
the labors Of his colleagues on the Board
or to do as he has done. secure the services
OF John T, Doyle TO write a carping, min.
telhgible, sophomorical Aimsy criticism
upon the as.s and conclusions of those
members Of the Board who have been
studying the great problems which the
office they hold was created to solve.
Mr. Foote Tor Doyle declares that he
has mad only from the eth day Of January,
1881, 20 the date of this report, the l9.h
of the month, in which to prepare re.
port, and he also admits in the same para.
graph that the time to formulate this carp.
ing review Of the action of the majority
rendered it impossible to present many
of the phases Of the transportation ques-
tion which are well worthy of notice and
discussion.
II Is HLt ALNC hhaFT ibbn4NhoLauu3uR JlS
loose thinking for which Mr.. Foote is re-
ceiving notice and the general confusion of
ideas which charaeterizes all the produc,
lions over his signature, whether written
by Mr. Doyle or some other amanuensis,
it should not have occurred to him that
when he says it was impossible to pre-
sent in his report any phases of the trans.
portation question worthy of note and dis
cussion, " he was oonfessing that no such
phases worthy of such notice or discussion
appeared therein. It gives us pleasure to
agree with Mr., Foote Tor Doyle in this
Characterization of his own report. That |
he was himself able 10 perceive at the con.
clusion of his labor that he had presented |
nothing worthy of notice or discussion, is
q striking and remarkable instance Of Ia. |