The record-union., 1893-03-09
The Traffic Associations Amend
ment Discussed.
FEW FRIENDS IN THE SENATE.
Senator Ford Makes a Plea for a
Competing Line.
THE SAN ANTONIO BILL KILLED.
Senator Wilson and COlusa C0unty's Funds
Senator OsrOm Gets Into
Hot Water.
THE SAN ANTONIO BILL KILLED.

The Senate INDUCED in lengthy debate
yesterday forenoon on the substitute Tor
the Assembly constitutional amendment
4roposing to abolish the Railroad Com
mission, and place the regulation OF
freights and fares in the hands of the
Legislature.l
The substitute is a counterpart of the
amendment Senator Gesford introduced
in the Senate, and that individual was
the first to take the floor yesterday and
talk for the substitute. Gesford was not
so violent in his speech as he has been on
former occasions when indulging in one
of his spasmodic anti-railroad TRADES.
He said he believed seriously that
better results would be achieved if the
Legislature attended to the fixing of rates
and fares rather than have that duty de-
volve upon a Railroad Commission. The
Traffic Association of California had
framed the bill after careful considera-
ton. and the Senator thought that ought
to be a sufficient recommendation.
NOT a STATE INSTITUTION.
Senator Campbell took the Napa Senator
to task for tacking ''Of California" onto the
Traffic Associations title. He repre-
sented a district which was made up OF
five counties, and there was not a MEM
Der of the association in the district, nor
an indorser of the associations methods.
There were five short railroads in the
district which would be crushedCby the
proposed amendment.
Senator Goucher asked the Napa Sem
ator if he thought the Legislature in a
sixty-day session could ever get through
with fixing freights and fares.
Gesford ventured the possibility that
by hard work it might be accomplished.
After Senator Bailey said he was op-
posed to ousting the commission, Senator
Goucher took the floor, and said that he
would like to vote for the measure be-
cause it was in line with the policy of the
Democratic party. But that same party
had also determined to present to the
people a constitutional amendment allow
ing the Legislature to sit one hundred
days and thus give it time to dispose OF
The new duties they would impose upon
it. This amendment was voted down
and he was not in favor of attempting to
foist upon the Legislature the duty of fix
ing fTeights and fares in a siXty-day ses-
sion, when it had been demonstrated
during the present session that even the
ordinary business coming before the body
could not be disposed of within that time.
The Legislature had had the fixing OF
rates once, and the system proved a fail
ure. Then the commission was created,
and he would concede that this system.
too, had proved a failure. But was that
any reason why the people should &C
back to the first mistake? The idea OF
having freights and fares fixed by COM
mission was all right, and it only rested
with the people to elect the right kind OF
men to Office. 1t was sickening to hear
people blaming the railroads for the ex-
istence of an unsatisfactory commission.
The railroad did not elect them. The
responsibility rested with the people
themselves and nobody else.
Senator Wilson made one of his custo-
mary windmill speeches, in which he
did not give any lucid information as tc
how he stood on the amendment.
PLEA FOR \ COMPETING ROAD.
Then Senator Ford took the floor and
gave the Senate sample of his eloquence
1.-The Senator from Fresno has stated
with his accustomed ability, some of the
reasons" he said, why this amend
ment should not be engrafted upon oui
organic law. There are other reasons
that, to my mind. appeal even more
powerfully to legislative reason. Prior
to 1879 the Legislature of California
wrestled with freights and fares. session
after session, to the utter decentralization
OF that body and the absolute neglect OF
important affairs of State. BY the Con-
stitution ofIS79 all this was changed, and
in obedience to popular demand, the
regulation of freights and fares was
placed in the hands OF three Commission
ers, to be elected by the people. Now.
alter an experience of some fourteen
years with a commission, an effort is
being made to restore legislative control
over this vexed question. 1t is difficult
TO understand the present seeming desire
to reiegate this subject back to the CON
troll of the Legislature, in view of the de-
moralizing effects and inadequacy of re.
suits of former legislative experience.
"The fact is, Mr.. President, our legisla.
ton for over twenty years past has beer
upon mistaken lines. We have endeav.
ored. by force of arbitrary legislation, tc
compel results in defiance Of commercial
and financial laws. In the midst of nat.
ural resources that are the envy and ad.
miration of the world, we sit supinely
down in. the vain hope that by some
magic touch of the legislative wand a
flood of commerce will roll through oul
Golden Gate, and overwhelm the many
financial ills of which we now complain
Our neighbors to the north and to tht
south of US have not been so patient
While we of the great central valleys O
California have been listening TO the en-
chanting song of the political siren, tell.
ing us of the glories of statute-madt
commerce, the enterprising people OF tha
great empire of the south which has Los
Angeles for its commercial center, have
solved the problem of cheap and rapic
transportation. With degree OF COM