The Dawson journal., 1884-06-12
Georgla's Railroad Law.

Constitution.
We have already alluded to tbs
fact thst those who are opposed 10
the railroad commission OF Georgia
and to the law under which it oper.
ates are quietly preparing fora cam
paign IN behalf Of what they conceive
TO bS their interests. it is not to be
an aggressis campaign. There will
be no effort to abolish the commission.
or &c repeal the law, or to amend
that part of the constitution which
makes legislation imperative; but an
effort. and very strong ore, will be
made to render the law imperative
as it stands by taking away some of
the necessary powers of tho commits.
sion.
Practically, the compaign has al.
ready begun. Only the other day
the Macon Telegraph, alluding TO tho
remarkable cheapness of all the ms.
terials necessary to railroad building,
remarked ''Despite the low price
of railway materials, however, it il
not probable that we shall witness
the building of many additional miles
OF railroads Tin Georgia. for soms
years to come" Our contemporary
gave two reasons for this; first, the
recent panic, and, second,the .'obsti
nate difficulty known as the railroad
commission, and "the hostile ATTITUDES
which the state has assumed towards
existing roads" This '.hostility."
as our readers know, consists in the
fact hat the state has passed .
law which requires that railroad man
agement shall look somewhat to the
interest and the rights of the public.
The state is just as hostile to its own
people as it is to corporations, 1t has
formulated a bulky code the purport
of which is that one citizen shall
have due regard for the rights and
interests Of other citizens. The
Sparta Ishmaelite, one of the most
intelligent of the Georgia wekliss,
puts the whole case very strong-
ly.
eve have frequently" SAYS the Ish.
maelite, chad brought to our atten.
ton the statement that the state has
assumed hostile attitude towards OK.
listing railroads. Such an
assertion is Crakuitous.
They have granted and con.
frmed to them many valuable fran.
chises and have only by the establish
ment of the commission restrained
them from encroachment upon the
rights of others. In no respect has
it been hostile. In no grant of power
has it been other than liberal. I'M
der the commission railroad stocks
and bonds have appreciated in value.
New roads have been and are being
built and equipped. The reason why
more are not being now built in the
state is not due to existing laws but
to two facts, first there is little necek.
slty for them, and, secondly the state
has refused in its constitution 10 lend
its Endorsement to any auch enter
prises in the future. But notwith4
standing both of these facts, if We
make no mistake, more miles Of rail.
way have been laid in the state and
are being laid since the commission
law went into effect than svsf
before in the same length Of time.
Further, more money has been made
from railway investments than ever be.
fore. More over, with water enough
IN some of them to destroy any ether
species of property except patent
whisky their stocks have been more
valuable than ever before. Gentle
men, calm and thoughtful, be fair and
truthful and let your own judgment
show you that there is difference
natural and necessary between the
powers proper to be exercised by
corporation and individual, and that
the railroad commission has been al.
ways honest, conscientious and Just.
1t is one OF the most important
branches of the state government and
should be sustained by the people
with unimpaired powers"