Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-02-19
FRIDAY MORNING. FEB. 10. 1892
IT WILL COME.

UC dlUllUUlCl ullIll III USCOIllCS Il 1dN. LfCiN
State that has won a victory in the interes
of justice and fair dealing over the rail
roads, has had just such a struggle as hal
now been commenced in Virginia. A very
interesting and timely article appeared il
the Cosmopolitan for last month. Civ
ing q history Of the long struggle for ani
final establishment of the Kansas Railroad
Commission. 1t is written by Albert r
Greene, member of that commission. II
was brought on 10y a similar state Of affairs
as exists in our own State. The railroads
had ''squandered the good will Of thepeople'
which they later sought carefully and
with tears but found not. Their discriml
nation and unjust charges were enough III
themselves to arouse resistance, but tC
these were added an imperiousness and al
indifference to the Claims and remOnstrall-
ces Of the people which affected all theiI
departments. Subordinates took their cue
from the general officers and learned to be
smart" in their treatment of the pub
lie, says Mr.. Green. Claims for damages
were pigeon-holed OF REFERRED" until the
claimants we're dead OF disguised, and the
roads had set up so entirely for themselves
as to be in no degree with the people at
large. Popular discomfort grew deeper and
deeper, but through custom and long sub
lection to the power Of the railroads it took
no graver form than mutterings and threats
The railroad officers smiled, they had been
hearing that sort Of thing for years.
At last, in 1877, the people, thoroughly
aroused, took it in hand and carried it into
the legislature. The railroad lobbyists
went there too, III force as they are now
at Richmond. So powerful was the rail-
road influence, that when q bill creating a
Commission with supervisory powers,
neared It's passage in the House of Dele
gates, the presiding officer, in their interest
awaited himself Of his parliamentary pre-
rogative and declared the House djourned
1t was near the close Of the session, and the
ill WAS never heard Of afterwards. Moth
Ing but the feeling that he had the railroads
at his back could make a Speaker as rasf
as that. In 1879 so deep had grown the
feeling of the people, that both political par-
ties put clause in their platforms for {
Commission. The railroads saw their dang
Ell and just before the legislature elected
that year, met, reduced their rates On hotI
freight and passengers 325 per cent. When
the legislature met the railroad lobby was
again there. After an acrimonious fight il
bo ho u III
was lost for the lack Of seven votes. 1t be-
gan to look-from these two faiIureS-like
the people could not whip the railroads, and
all the more from tEeexperience of the next
legislature in 1881, when the Commission
bill passed the House by a decided majority
but was quietly strangled in the Senate
Committee. These repeated defeats only
made the people more indignant, and in
1882 a legislature was elected that would
give them what they asked. 1t passed The
present Railway Commission law existing
i'll that State and which went into effect OF
April LIST, 1888. 1t required that three
Commissioners should he appointed by the
Executive Council Of the State, not more
than two Of whom should belong to any ont
party. They were given supervisory pow
erS over the roads, to revise and establish
rates, order betterments, change conuec
tionS, and so on, pretty III nch as the Kent
bill does. The first response OF the rail
railroads WAS an effort to break down tlt
law. i'll which they failed, and that was theil
first and last attempt Its decisions since
1888 are over GOO in number and have
been acqniesced in by the railroads as read
lily as if they had been made by court OF
law. The VINDICATOR has already refer
red to the fairness and perfect impartiality
of these decisions. We give below a letter
from MI Charles S. Elliott. the Secretary
o. that Commission, in response to one
from I S asking his views on the working
of it. 1t is moderate, conservative an(
gives valuable information:
OFFICE OF KANSAS STATE RAILROAD
COMMISSIONERS. }
TOPEKA, February 10th, 1892.
Dear Slr:-Your favor of January 9th, III
vltlng an expression of view as to the working
of our Commission, has been delayed in
answering, owing to sickness.
The law was passed in 1883, at that time VIZ
had 1885 miles of road; in 1890 we had 1892
in 1891 1901. We have therefore more than
doubled, standing second among the States il
the way of railway mileage, in fact having
more than can be probably sustained
Whether or not railroads should have been
built in this State, the fact of the existence
c,;n ~
the same time, had the law been different the
result might have been also. Railways as {
rule are the commercial pulse of the commu-
mites through which they pass, if prosperous
likewise the country, and rice uersG.
Whether OF not the establishment of Com
mission Will retard investment and the devel
opment of your State will depend upon the
manner in which they are chosen and the
powers conferred. With regard to the first
from my observation of other Commissions
and contact with those chosen under our law
I have no hesitation in saying that our manner
of selection is far the best. This l understand
takes it directly out of the hands of the peo
pie, but the burden of attempting to satisfy
the fickleness OF public opinion upon rail
road rates is one that the members should moi
be compelled to bear. Their decisions should
be based upon only what is right, and moi
upon what influence it shall have upon theil
reelection. If the people cannot rely upon
their State officers, whom they themselv cs
have elevated, to select good and true meI
something certainly is wrong.
As to power. what is needed, is not so mucl
low rates, but the avoidance of discrimina
tions In these days of consultations and
Associations. lines traversing your owl
State. even when so inclined, may be unable
to foster a growing industry or abate discrim
nation in rates, owing to the powerful in
tiuence of a foreign company whose line
reaches industries Of similar nature, and
whose earnings would be affected; or it may
be the combined influence of sometrade center
that is averse to the encouragement of Other