The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-20
THE VETO MESSAGES.
Extraordinary Logic by the
Accidental Governor.
4 FRIEND OF PINkERTons.
Bills TO Protect Coal Miners and Farm
ers Are Unconstitutional and Dis
eliminating. He says.

Bills TO Protect Coal Miners and Farm
ers Are Unconstitutionsl and Dis
eliminating. He says.
OLYMPIA, March l9.-[Special Follow
ing are the objections of the governor TO
two bills passed by the recent legislature:
The provisions Of House bill No. l5s, entitled
IAN act to require railroad companies to con-
struct and Eainfain connections from one rail-
road TO smother, and to provide penalties for .
failure to cosaply Herewith present features
both commendabie and objectionable. Expert
encc has shown in other states that under suit
able regulations, through boards appointed for
that purpose, and upon application Of parties
interested therein, and upon due examination
to show the necessity for making connections
between railroads, a. indicated In this bill, the
same purposes can be carried into effect in such
manner as to fully comply with the require
menfs of the public, and at the same time do no
injustice to the people or the corporations,
II Is true that in very many instances where
crossings occur at grade there is NO demand for
making connections for the purpose of trans
ierring cars; and TO apply universal rule Of
making 1t necessary that connections should be
made at all crossings, whether demanded by the
public or not, would require an unnecessary
outlay and expense on the part of those owning
or operating railroads, without any correspond.
ing benefits in behalf of the public. Laws of
this kind usually apply simply to railroads as
such, and not TO any individual company or cor
Poraficn which may have leased or might be
temporarily operating the railroad II lis mani
fest, upon an inspection OF the subject, to say
that the lessees OF a railroad, being bound by
their contract with the original owners, might
have no authority to take the necessary steps to
provide such connections; and even II they
should have such authority, yet it would require
such lessces to build at their own expense con-
nection, the value of which would attach to the
property In which they had no primary interest.
II further provides that such connections
shall be made at all points where one railroad
begins or terminates at or near any other rail-
road where cars may be speedily and conyen-
icntiy transferred from one railroad to another.
Doubtless a condition Of affairs exists now in
many places and will exist hereafter where the
roads OF different companies begin or terminate
within the corporate limits of some large city,
aud the terminal or beginning points may be
only block or two or three blocks apart. In no
way can we determine what ID meant BY the ex-
preston Eat or near any other railroad" Ger
tainly If they were but block spart II would be
near; yet it might require an enormous expense
IN the condemnation OF private property in
passing through perhaps permanent structures
within the city, greatly to the prejudice and
weli-being of the people OF that locality. Il
might also occur, and doubtless would, that
when such roads are at or near one another un-
der circumstances just spoken Of that the
grades might be materially different, perhaps
hundreds of feet, where it would be a physical
impossibility to make q connection from one
road to the other capable of being used
!. Is also submitted that under the provisions
of this bill, different motor lines extending
through the different cities or from one to the
other, being standard gauge, might be able to
compel connections between such motor lines
and what is ordinarily known as railroads.
While the objects OF the bill in some respects
are commcndabie relative to requiring crossings
to DC made Mt places demanded by the public,
yet experience has shown that law sweeping
in generalities, and without specifically pro-
viding for details, requiring such crossings,
whether demanded by the public or not, is
hardly OF such a nature as to commend itself to
my mind But under proper regulations, upon
application by parties interested, and through
inspection by officers appointed for that pur-
pose to determine whether or not the require
ments of the public are such as to make neces-
sary such connections. the interests of all part
les could be protected, and no violence or in
jury would result
The act does not specify in case of connections
between different roads beginning or terminal
ing at or near one another which company shall
bear the expense of making the necessary con-
nections. 1t might be that in many instances to
make such connection in the heart of city
would require an enormous outlay OF money,
and whether this expense is to be horne jointly
by the two roads thus connected, or all by one
road, cannot be determined from this bill.
Viewing the subject then from both stand
points and taking into consideration the obiec-
tionable features as well as those that are de-
signed to be commendable, believe that this
bill lacks the elements OF detail which should
characterize measure of such importance, to
the end that the public may be at all times ac-
commodated and at the same time no violence
or injustice done to any other interests.
For the above reasons l am therefore con-
strained to withhold my approval of this bill.
CHARLES E. LAuGHToN,
Lieutenant Governor and Acting Governor.