The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-03-17
Texas and Her Railroad Commission

Texas and Her Railroad Commission
To The Statesman
AUSTIN, Tex, March Z, 1892.
The contest for governor in TeXas
this year is only continuation OF the
battle fought two years ago when
the people triumphed so completely
over the railroads and their friends.
The issue is in no wise altered. LII is
the same now as then, with new
Richmond in the field as the cham
pion of the railroads. The victory'of
two years ago bore fruit in the crea-
ton by the legislature of the railroad
commission which we now have. This
commission came in response to the
emphatic demand of the people. Its
creation was antagonized and fought
at every step of the bill s progress
through the legislature by one of the
most insidious and interruptions lob
bies that ever infested the halls OF
legislation. The friends of the meas
ure stood firm and did their
duty, giving Texas one OF
the best commission laws in
the union, and providing o system of
railway regulation that is in every re-
spect an improvement on similar sys-
TENS in other states. This law of ours
is modelled on that adopted in Illinois
in 1871, and in Georgia in 1879. In
both states which were the pioneers
of the west and south in this method
of regulating railroads-the commits
sion laws have been improved and
strengthened from year to year, until
now they are regarded as models after
which other states are copying. After
these models the Texas law was
drawn, with such notifications as the
nature of the times and the circum-
stances of our Texas roads dictated.
The essential principles are the same
in the commission laws of the three
states, and in fact in twelve or four
teen other states that have adopted
similar methods Of railway regula-
ton.
One would suppose from the howl
raised by the friends of the railroads
that the Texas commission is the first
ordained in the union with power to
fix freight and passenger rates whose
| T0dSOldUlSS Sudll U6 uelu DIS plllld
facie and binding, until the courts at
the suit of a railroad shall decide
otherwise. So far from this being the
case, Texas is the last one of several
states to adopt that plan of regula-
ton. Illinois, which has more miles
Of railroad to the square mile Of terri
tory than any western state, adopted
the principles found in the Texas COM
mission law twenty-one years ago,
with the acknowledged result Of now
having the best regulated and the best
paying railroads in the west. Georgia
followed suit eight years later with a
commission whose classiticatiops
rates, rulings and orders are binding
on the roads and in the courts, and
what is the result? Her railroad
mileage increased until Georgia, like
Illinois in the West, became leader
among the states of the South. Her
railroad mileage is almost equal to
that of Texas, and you could hide
Georgia in the Panhandle. Not only
that, but according t, the testimony
of the Georgia commission, the stocks
and bonds of her railroads appreciated
in value after the creation of COM
mission that had the power to regu-
late in fact and not in appearance.
There are fourteen other states that
have similar powers of regulating,
supervising and inspecting railroads.
These are Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas,
Missouri, California, Alabama, South
Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi,
New Hampshire, North and South
Dakota, Oregon and Nebraska. With
what face can any man, not out of his
head or stepped in ignorance, say
that the Texas commission is
unlike any other and can
wreck and ruin railroads at will? Will
the people credit such falsehoods be-
fore making inquiry as to their true
character? The truth of the matter is,
Texas was feartully slow in ARRIVING
at an adequate plan of regulation.
What she did one year ago, nearly q
score of states had done ten, fifteen
and twenty years ago, adopting the
leading principles, many of them,
found in her commission law Eigh-
teen states, besides those named, have
commissions also, but endowed with
supervisory and recommendation
powers only. Gradually, however,
they are changing their laws and adj
| OPtluS bhS lCS5 uldIlNe pan. IOAdo LAS
abundant company in this, although
she waited until thirty-three other
states had tried and tested the merits
of regulation by commissions, before
venturing it on her own account. She
has it now, and the question
to be settled during the
coming campaign is, will
she keep it, or will she listen to the
advice of the smooth and Oily Gam
mon emisaries of the railroads, and
consent to such changes in the law as
will emasculate and rob it of It's pow
ers? VIII the people blindly surrender
the precious fruits of the victory won
in 1880? are they SO stupid as that?
we do not think so. The friends Of
the people, the legislators who enacted
the law, will tell them that it is sound
and wise, just what is needed. It's
enemies, who have always fought the
commission idea, say the law needs
amending and crippling. Who will
the people listen to, the friends of tn til
commission or its enemies? The NV
who goes to his enemy for advice is hei
puted a fool. The man who v as