, 1889-08-08

PERMANENT COMMISSION
in constitution, lie had also obicc-
| tons to minor details of the scheme,
which he stated, and IT, as the gentle.
man said yesterday, the legislature can
render the commission imperative by
stopping salaries, ETC., then why not
| leave the whole thing to the legislature.
MIR. Comcgys would vote at present
to sustain the majority. report, but
would vote later to amend that report
| In several particulars.
j. NJ. Reed favored commission to
| protect farmers, who were the real sup
port of the railroads and who were to-
day, many of them, dcspondont over
their business, because they were I'M
certain whether they could get their
wheat to market In sdch shape as to
get any benefit out of it. This was
simply "a board to oq,alize the burdens
between the carrier aud the producer, :,
Mr.. Eshelman said this constitutional
commission was in some sense an ex-
pertinent, but he should vote for it for
fear that the legislature might not pro-
vide for IL; but he also wanted this soc
| ton amended before being finally
adopted. His position was practical
ly to
TAKE NO CHANCES
ON the Legislature.
Mr.. Henry was opposed to railroad
lUllSSlDntTS, anu OnHpNtb
to creating them both Judges aud lcgis-
lators by a constitutional provision. lie
believed, further, that they would create
more evils than they would cure and
would cause capital to hesitate before
building railroads In the future. Com
petition was the only defense against
monopoly.
Mr. stiles was opposed to putting any
thing of this sort into the constitution,
and SO should vote against both reports.
This was purely legislative beyond any
thing that had been yet considered by
the convention, OF twenty-one states
which had these commissioners only
ono California; had put it into the con-
stitution, and it was notorious
NO EARr HLY USE,
even i'm the vicinity of San Francisco, so
that IL the commission idea is effective.
or has found favor in the eyes of the
people, it is from the experience of tn ose
twenty one states whose com missions
are legislative and not constitutional
commissions. Indiana has no commits
sion and never had one, yet it has more
railroads and cheaper rates than any
other state. Iowa is losing population
from two cause.-the railroad commits
sion and prohibition, two of the most
blighting conditions that can affect bus
,hess' , nc Woulu i,ot asrce .na, "hs
G.;' ni.. 'ne., s,,o'e i us,s.a. ~ IN.
and sis,; laIes au '"irS Th anu s;,;ny n, ,he
@an,ioSs,a,' frn,, snnL ano IS,r;,Ii,ts 10
allow the legislature to strike this out
should be thought the inherent witness
Of this whole proposition, this constitu-
.loh hot oeinS ih"ue ior 'he ieei9'"'"ies
10
srh'Nh opi'
but just the reverse.
Mr.. Buchanan considered this as i'm
portant question as had yet come up,
but for the moment the question was
whether or not to have constitutional
convention. He quoted from the report
of the California commission to refute
the charge that it was a useless commits
sion, the report showing reduction of
freight charges during the life Of the
commission.
MIR. Stiles asked If anything showed
that such reductions were due in any
way to that commission.
Mr. Buchanan said IL showed that
these reductions occurred during their
term of office and the presumption was,
to his mind, that they were the cause OF
it. He further quoted to show greatly
reduced passenger rates in California, as
compared with Washington territory
rates, and credited the California com
mi-.'ion with that result. II this be leg
| islation, IT is legislation that ought TO
| ind II way into the constitution more
than any of the legislation that has al
ready gone in.
COMPETITION ~ NOT yr,stpLE
unless railroads can be dtphcated ten
| miles apart, all over tne territory
The gaVel again, ana Buchatlan sood
naturedly abandoned ms argument,
while the steam was only falrlS up ana
/ lots of go left.
MIR. Dyer said King county felt the
/ need of more railroads and II seemed to
him that such "a commission was hablc
/ to keep I'm power the monopoly ny which
| the territory was already ground down
/ He was inclined to bear the evils they
had rather than flee to those they knew
not OIL More railroads was necessity,
\ and by and by . railroad commission
the majority report because il provided
for commission without waiting for the
| legislature. ''While the grass grows the
horse may starve," might well be applied
here. He believed In defining the pol
lev of the state so that capital would
know exactly where it stood and would
thus be far more likely to come in than
on an uncertainty.
Mr.. Turner said that as between n
railroad commission in the constitu-
ton and no railroad commission, he
was uneduivocally in favor OF a com
mission, though this present situation
might need modification. This was q
marking ont and defining of parts of
government. and might lust us well lie
but i'm The constitution as the judiciary,
executive or any other part Railroad
development and the necessity for COM
missions had arisen since the constitu-