The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-10-08
THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ISSUE
-f.lrr1a sEdAN ADDREsR. ozzis to rs

- .r-. - AN ADDhESh. -aA-ta BID laa
Special to the Chattanooga Times ~
ed NASHVILLE Oct. Ieatrhe follow
ing appearsin the Banner this after
mood: To the People of Tennessee:
The undersigned 9 having been
nominated by tho Republican party
as candidates for Railroad Commits,
sioners, beg leave to say that in their
opinion tire act creating a railroad
commission in this State should not
have been passed. That said act
was passed for the purpose of Great
ing new offices to be filed by men
who had done party service, and
was not created becausevthe rail
roads in this State had been violats
ing the provisions of their charters
and unjustly discriminating against
the people of the State. If the pre-
tended 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 opera.
tons of said act The effect Of the
exceptions in favor of new reads
would allow them to practice for ten
years the supposed grievance COM
planned of. A number of the rails
roads in this State have been ia op-
Grafton for more than twenty years,
and in 1888, after said railroads 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
some of the leaders of the Democrat
ic party that Railroad Commission
was greatly needed in Tennessee.
If the railroads had been so outrags
ing the rights Of the people, we ask
why wait until 1888 to create com
mission? Z 1i SufsaTa -e ~oE
. We are not candidates in the orr
binary acceptation of the term, for
if elected we do not propose to res
ceive one cent of the emoluments of
the office, for the reason that we be-
lieve the main features efthe act un-
constitutional and void. The ques-
ton presented to the people of Ten
nessee is, as to whether the Legis-
lature has the power to deprive cor
pOrations of their vested rights SO
long as they keep within the,imits.
of their charters. M ~ .E
We believe that the commission
has greatly retarded the growth and
prosperity of the State by prevent
ing the building of contemplated
roads through various portions of
the State. We-submit for the COM
sideration the number of miles of
railroad constructed in six States in
little more than twelve months,
three of which have commissions
and three of which have none: Ell
orss IS sS %o FSria no aa5 iies
So GarelH ITO Nissi;ssipPi ss ss mills miles
st- a.rc = riETl# sE'y ~ 10 yM
Total l4Sh miles rs4a-r s45 miles.
At this time there were on file in
the Office of the Secretary of State
more than fifty charters for new rail
roads, which, if constructed, would
permeate 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. b We want
more railroads and better ones; one
competing line of road is worth far
more to the~peoplc than a dozen
commissions. fil li'f $3.50 % -eE
While we want the rights of the
citizen fully protected against any.
unjust Determinations on the part
of railroads, we want to see such le-
gislation as will invite capital to our
State, fully protect the rights of all
and develop the resources of Ten,
nessee, rfaa8 Wv, MURRAY,
t. A. NJ HUGHEs,
NJ i C,ONnON a