St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-05-09

and the late EX-GOV- Fairbanks,
headed the petition to our Legisla-
ture for an act of incorporation. The
prospect of ever completing the Pan
anna canal is very discOuraging while
the incorporators of the Nicaragua
canal are confident of success. May
their hopes be realized.
4 STATE FARCE.
The Burlington Free Press an
nounces that the Vermont railroad
commissioners will begin the inspec-
ton of the railroads of the state
about June 1st, commencing with
the Passumpsic, and that the work
will take about six weeks time. The
same paper further adds that in or
der to make the inspection of the
roads and bridges more thorough
than heretofore the commissioners
have engaged an expert, Prof. Hitch
cock of Dartmouth college, who will
accompany them on their tour of in
spection The bridges will be thor
oughIv tried and in all cases where
there is any doubt as to the safety of
a bridge Prof Hitchcock will return
to the bridge later, taking time for
the purpose of making the most ex-
acting test.
Assuming that the information
given by the Free Press is authentic,
nothing further is needed to Justify
the criticism of the CaledOnian on the
railroad commission of this state.
When the first board was appointed
in 1856 it's weakness was pointed
out in just this direction. When two
of the same board were re-appOinted
in 1883, with the addition of a third
man of no more qualifications for the
position than his two associates, the
CaledOnian again called attention to
the matter i'll the following words:
at the commission might be of
value, but until thorough-going,
practical business mechanic is put
upon the board it will not be. AS
now operated it is simply soft
place for politicians without theleast
reference to any qualifica lions for the
place"
The employment of an expert to
accompany the commission on its
annual tour, and do the work which
the law supposes the commission to
do, and for which the commission is
lavishly paid for doing, is practically
admitting the fact which this paper
has called attention to more than
once. OF course the engagement of
Prof Hitchcock means an additional
expense to the taxpayers of the
state and an unnecessary expense al
so upon people already outrageous
ly taxed, as the appropriations of
the last Legislature plainly show
We say unnecessary expense, be
cause there are plenty of men in this
state competent to examine railroads
whose services would be more than
covered by the eight dollars a day
and found" paid to the railroad com
mission; but they will never get APP
pointed on the commission because
they are not in politics and cannot
work the primaries and pull the
gressmen-
A railroad commission might be of
value. As an arbiter between the
public and those corporations which
nOtoriously have no souls, 1t should
be worth all it costs. There is work
for it to do, in seeing that there are
no unjust discrimina tions in freight
or passenger tariffs-that the farmer
and small business man is treated as
fairly as the rich man and the corpo-
ration. 1t Is supposed to look after
careless railroads that let their road
bed get out of repair, their rolling
stock run down and their bridges be
come unsafe. The commission is
supposed to be a body of men in the
interests of all the people, to secure
fair treatment with all parties
How does the commission work
practically? Men are put upon it in
payment for political service render
ed or expected. Men are appointed
who have not the first qualification
for the pOsition-simply pensioners
of the state, living out of the public
crib-Tiding over the state in fine
style, with all the ct ceteras furnish
ed, and eight dollars a day each be
sides. Some people would condone
even this extravaganza if it procured
men of such practical, business or
scientific qualifications as to proper
ly do the work expected of them, but
when the office of railroad commits
sioner is simply a soft place for poll
ticians whose qualifications consist
in ability to pull wires and get up on
the blind side of a weak governor, it
is time the people who have to pay
the bills kicked"