The morning call., 1892-03-30
WHO OWNS TIRE COMMISSIONS

There was one remark made on Monday
by Railroad Commissioner Beekman in
which the public are with him-that was
when he said that the controversy with the
Traffic Association was making the Railroad
Commission ridiculous" That it most
certainly is doing. Here are three persons
who are paid $1,000 a year each to protect
shippers from eXorbitaut freight charges by
The railroad; but when the official agent of
the shippers draws their attention TO specific
cases Of oyercharge, they declare that they
have no power to act until some individual
shipper brings suit before them as plain
tiff against the Southern Pacific Company
as defendant, and sweaTs that be indivld-
ually has been wronged. OF course such a
contention is ridiculous, and brings the
official who maintains it into contempt.
II Is astonishing that the Southern Pacific
should permit the Railroad Commissioners
10 so on making ii as plain as the MONDAY
sun that the commission is but the football
Of the company. For lis own sake, if it has
any excuse TO make for charging 10 or 20 or
40 per cent more for moving the products
OF California than the Kansas roads charge
for moving similar products in Kansas, it
should jump at this opportunity of laying
Ahat excuse before the people, so as TO
stem the swelling tide of anti-railroad senti-
ment 1t should order its man Rea to with
draw his pitiful subterfugs about the neces-
slty for an individual complaint, and direct
him TO investigate the merits OF the eontro-
versy without further pettifogging Why
1t does not do so is we'll understood. 1t re-
fuses to allow the commission to give it a
chance Of doing so. 1t is, perhaps, as well
as IT is, for everybody knows the tariff is
extorlionate and indefensible.
Mr.. Beckman puts on airs OF what are
you going TO do about 1t? and says that if the
Railroad Commissioners are not doing their
duty he suppOses they can be reached in the
courts. 1t may come to that, though after
the decision of the Supreme Court in the
Grand Jury case people are not confident
that they could obtain redress from any
court which is controlled by the railroad.
But what sort of public officials are these
who deliberately shirk their duty on a frivo-
lous pretext, and then for delay challenge
the public 10 meet them in the courts? Ii is
Simple issue, which business men can
readily determine. Mr.. Beckman and his
colleagues were appointed to decide just
such issues Of their own mere notion with
out waiting for complaints. That is what
they were elected for. That is what they
patience for them to refuse to consider such
issues on the frivolous plea that they must
be brought before the commission by a
plaintiff, and a sworn complaint and an aft
dayit of service upon the railroad defend
ant. and when this is objected to, to con-
temptuously refer the public to such redress
as they can get from courts of law after
probably years of waiting?
The result Of this win be apparent at the
next election. 1t will be small thing to
relegate the present Railroad Commission
ers to private life. That goes without say
ing. But the effect OF the defeat of the
Traffic Association for the time being will
be to revive the old antagonism to the rail-
road, and to convince those who have hith-
erto been ignorant of the fact that the policy
of the corporation is irreconcilable with the
promotion of the best interests Of the State.