The record-union., 1893-01-27

of uelensG 10 OHer. 1t has recourse to
concealment instead.
Mr.. Leeds, when pressed in the cross
examination, took refuge in the general
statement that he did not believe the re-
duction, provided in the latest of his tariff
creations, would be more than % or 80
per cent. from present charges. He said
he had not really figured what the re-
duction would be. The inference is fair
that he and the association at lis back
have no plan in which the interest Of the
railroads of California are taken into
serious consideration. He has acknowl-
edged under official examination that he
has no definite basis upon which to calcu-
late the effect that the measure he is advo-
eating will have upon the revenue of these
roads. The one idea Of which he is the
exponent is to slash as deep as he can in
duce the Legislature to slash.
A comparison of the tariff actually pro-
posed by the Traffic Association. Cor by
Mr.. Leeds, imported to instruct them
and the people of California as to their
commercial and political interests) with
the Kansas distance tariff, which il was
claimed, apologetically, would be fairly
remunerative, shows this pretty con-
clusively. On first class merchandise, .
the former proposes a rate of 81 cents per
100 pounds for the first five miles and up
to ten miles; the latter, the Kansas tariff.
is IS cents. To carry the comparison
farther, we find Mr.. Leeds substitute call
ing for rate Of A cents for ten miles and
up to fifteen miles; Kansas distance tariff,
10 cents; for fifteen miles and up to twenty
miles, cents as against is; twenty
miles and up to twenty-five miles, II
cents as against . cents; ninety-five
miles and up to one hundred miles, 40
cents as against % cents.
These figures show something of the
difference between the tariff actually pro-
posed and that which is nominally pro-
posed. AS indicative of its crudeness
and resultant inequalities, note that the
rate for sixteen miles over the rate for
fifteen miles jumps up from to y cents,
or 90 per cent. for miles difference in
distance. Mr.. Leeds said the principal
reason why, in rating for five-mile dis
tances, he would not charge more for a
longer than shorter haul, was his desire
to avoid fractionsl
But, says Mr.. Leeds, we can try this.
If the experiment is not successful the
system can be overhauled.
1t was drawn out of Mr.. Leeds, in the
DISCRIMINATION, that if it were not for
the present legal maximum freight
charge (Which he, somehow. seems to
think offers. some sort of obstacle to his
constitutional amendment) he n1iqht haze
raised the short haul rates of the South
ern Pacific. The fact is that, off the wit
ness stand, it is said that he admits that
the short distance rates of the Southern
Pacific lines are too low, but he would
adopt them so as to avoid the appearance
of raising rates at all.
@. Mr.. Leeds, would you establish a
uniformity Of rates on all the roads of
this State, regardless of the comparative
density Of traffic among these roads?
A. l should fix a maximum for that,
and ifthe traffic was more dense on a GER
tain road perhaps l would reduce it on
that road.
One would judge from this reply that
Mr.. Leeds regards the organic law of
the State as no less flexible than himself.
MIR. Leeds came to California in the role
of reformer. He found a Board of Rail-
road Commissioners established by the
Constitution of the State, an utterly USE
less body; he found the laws Of the State
vicious and the Constitution itself bad.
and he is at work fundamentally reorgan-
izing our institutions for US. He has not
yet got to using pronouns in the first
person, he always employs the second
person in speaking of Californians and
California at1airs-''you' and yours"
not 'we' and tours"
The great feature of the reform on which
he is now engaged is to give us regula-
ton OF railroad freights by means of a
tariff which is the result Of q guess; to in
troduce into the Constitution of Cali
fornia, thing never heard of before, a cerss
tain classification with the rules governing
it, which will become thereby fixed and
rigid, while in their nature they are tenn
porary and changeable. A classification
is never perfect, even when Just made.
1t is an instrument of compromise, con-
stantly undergoing notifications and adj
Justments. How, then, can it be made a
part of an organic law, unless the power
to change that law from time to time.
as the exigencies of trade require
it, be delegated to the West
ern Classification Committee, sitting
annually at the "Rookery," Chicago. or
in their quarters i'll some other very dis
tant city. This is an absurdity which
the ordinary high-school boy Of Califor-
MIA would not be guilty Of Mr.. Leeds
has already found, when called upon to
explain his scheme to the Legislature.
that it is, to say the least, unbusinesslike
and improbable.
Incidentally, as showing the thorough
ness of his study of the railroad question
in this State, on the cross-examination re-
terred to Mr.. Leeds, though lodging the
issue, showed himself to be in favor Of
the recommendation of the Traffic Asso-
citation that it be made illegal for anv
corporation not organized under the laws
OF this State to own and operate railroads
in this State, and would prohibit the ex-
tension Of Eastern overland lines to the
Pacific Ocean through California! said
he: y would sooner see some California
road built out east" And he said be
could afford to wait for this as long as
the people of California could.
RUN OVER.