Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-25
THE TWO PARTIES AND THE RAIL
ROADS.

1t will be remembered that one of the
Board Of Transportation Commissioners.
during the discussion OF the question of
reduction Of railroad rates, objected to the
four-ccnt rate because ait would not sat
isfy the people" 1t was not because he
found as a judicial officer, that the rate
was not just to the carrier and the shipper,
for his estimate Of what satisfies the peo-
pie " was revealed in the supplement to
the remark, and beside believe that
three-cent rate would help our party" So
far, then, as This official was concerned,
the measure Of his judgment Of the de-
mands Of he people was a partisan one.
1t was moi objected to the rate so much
that it was moi. as in fact it was, mate
rial reduction rs that il would not punish
the railroad company That is, we mean
to say that vast deal of the political OBJ
structions placed in the way Of railroad de-
velopment, amd hindrances in the way of
railroading in California generally, are due
to 4 desire 10 indict injury rather than do
justice TO The carriers. AS proof of this is
10 be cited he same Railroad Commits
sioner, who. IN the same debate made no
secret of hIs objection % 4 proposed reduced
rate because he believed it would not en-
tail upon The railroad company aimed at a
moneyed loss. On the contrary, he cried
out with unCton that the reduction would
" absolutely increase the revenue of the
railroad company, by reason of the in
creased Stimulus that would be given to
travel Yet, strange as it may seem, the
iterated plant Of this same representative
had been, that not sufficient inducement
was given 10 the people to travel by rail,
because Of intcs he held to be too high.
By the standard Of judgment and
duty thus 1T up in high official
station, II was suggested to The Demo
cratic party 70 trim its policy on State
questions according TO party needs The
party managers. or ring of them, took the
cue, and resolved 10 ignore the question in
the railroad problem, 81 Is the rate charged
fair to both carrier and,shipper?" and to
substitute for il The demand for injury to
the carrier in The interest of the shipper.
Yet the party has had the effrontery to call
this policy OF regulation. In pursuance
of that policy it has practically declared
that the ralc on which the debate referred
to occurred in The Railroad Commission
could not be fair to both shipper and car
rier, since ii produced the largest amount
of income 70 the latter, thus joining with
the San Francisco Chronicle in its demand
that the carrier be hurt. The Democratic
party, in short. by the action of its labeled
agents and representatives, and the utter
ances of Stockton Convention and its subsc-
quent acts and declarations, has set up the
infamous doctrine that the interests of ship
pers by rail ave TO be measured by injury to
the carriers, The interests of railroad COM
panies are commercial in character; they
are entitled 60 the same protection. c0nsid
Grafton and fostering care at the hands of
just people, as any other commercial inter
eSts. This is precisely what the Democratic
party has declared shall not be the policy
of this State An equitable adjustment be-
tween shippers by rail and carriers by rail,
will give the one fair rate and compel the
other TO pay il, and this is the policy of the
Republican party in the State and nation.
1t proposes that the carrier shall impose no
unjust or oppressive policy on the shipper,
nor shall The former pursue its business
without answering to the State for any