The Brookhaven leader., 1891-04-30
THE X. II. COMMISSION.
An Interesting Review of It's
Work by Hon. j. T.. Scs-
sioIiS.


my fellow -citiZcns, who have. through
their representatives IN the Iegisla-
turc. hunorpd me with their conf
dcnce, to give some account of the
work of the commission during the
period of my service, especially, us
cannot, consistently with the proper
performance of my duties, have an
opportunity of meeting in person but
very small pre- pOrtion of the voters
of the State.
To the office Of Railroad Commits
sioper, the management of the peni-
Tertiary as n Board of Control, was
added by the act Of 1886. Referring
to the work of each board separately,
and first to that Of
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION,
it is proper to state, that with the be-
ginning of my term of office, there
was inaugurated active supervision in
this State. During the first year of
my incumbency the passenger tariff of
charges was reduced by tho hoard
from four to three cents per mile on
the Vieksburg and Meridian railroad,
and from three and fraction cents to
three cents on the Mobile aud Ohio
railroad, and the Mississippi aud Ten
nessee railroad. The next year the
Natchez, Jackson aud Columbus rail
road was reduced by the commission
from four to three cents, and upon no.
tice served for the same reduction on
the Kansas City, Memphis and Bir-
mingham railroad, it was made by the
company without compulsion.
In 1890 the last remaining road
charging four cents per mile (tho mar
guage line from Middleton to
Ripley and POntotoc) was reduced to
three cents; so that there has been es-
tablished by these successive reduc-
tions an uniform passenger rate in
Mississippi of three cents per mile.
In 1890 we also reduced the minimum
total short haul passenger charge
from rs to 10 cents. These reductions
have resulted in very large aggre-
gate saving to the people of our State,
estimated in our first annual report,
1887, to be not less than SOC, 100000
each year, and this, too, without Diet
riment to the railroads generally, be-
cause of the increase, by reason of the
lower rate, of passenger travel.
Of the numerous revisions and re.
auctions of the freight rates within
the State, of the various lines and of
the changes in classification (by which
means reduction is frequently accom-
plished) it would he impossible with
in the limits of circular letter to
speak in detail. General reyisions
and general OF partial reductions of
the distance freight tariffs within the
State of all the principal lines of rail
road have been made from time to
time, beginning with July 10th, 1886,
besides nnmberless local, commodity,
or joint tariffs established with our
sanction or at our suggestion. The
result of these reductions in local
freight rates, rs stated in our annual
report made to the legislature of 1888,
has been very much larger aggregate
annual saving to the people of the
State than that resulting from the pas
senger reductions, and this saving
since then has been increased by rea-
son of subsequent reyisiOns. Two
lines of railroad in the State 1.-THE va
zoo and Mississippi Valley, and the
Canton, Aberdeen and Nashville) have
maximum freight rate inserted in
their charters by the legislature, and
the fact that this maximum which
these roads are allowed by law to
charge is greater than what would
now be fair and reasonable rate, il
Illustrates the improvident character of
such legislation.
All along in the Judgment of the
writer, as have evdeavOred to show
in the annual reports to the legisla-
ture, the rates charged by the rail-
roads on "1Ocar' business have been
out of proportion to those charged on
Through" business.
This inequality, it has been the OBJ
.ject of the commission in the various
revisions from time to time to modify
and correct. A careful watchfnlness
and the policy of fair but fearless re-
vision persisted in, will ultimately so
lessen this inequality as to greatly adj
vance the interests OF all the people
of the State.
Competition largely protects the in
terests of the cities and towns where
several lines concentrate, but the peO-
pie who are not benefited by it-thOse
of isolated localities who are at the
mercy of single line of railroad
are the sufferers and should be pro-
tected by an efficient and just enforce
ment of supervision laws.
Since have been a member of the
board, we have caused to be erected
or enlarged ninety depots in the State,
greatly superior to those replaced.
We have caused bulletin boards to he
put mp and kept posted at all tele-
graph stations, and promulgated regu-
latiOns looking to the comfort and
convenience of passengers at depOts
and on trains.
Suggestions of amendments to the
railroad supervision laws made i'm our
several annual reports, have been en-
bodied in statutes by the legislature,
notably those relative to insecure
bridges, tracks and tunnels, the pre-
servatiOn of order on trains and at
depOts, the erection and location of
joint OF union depots, the abolition
without the consent of the commits
sion of stations, the furnishing of suf-
ticient passenger cars, etc.
THE PENITENTIARY.
During the existence of the lease of
the penitentiary, our duties were al
most entirely supervisory, but since
the cancellation of the lease, Deem