Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-09
0RgsOYs HSRIgCXD R4lLE04D COA-
NISsi8N-

Under tie hesd q Their Sslaries
OnIy are Impogt2ns," the EGSsns
Guaed pFints tbiz:
The salem Statesman h2s disDvereo
paysths Corvallis TIn@s tbss t5s only
isEorrsssSsa contained IN . pUoiished
Fsporf % the proeesdinEs q the railroad
commission IL that "no bGziuess Of in--
possanes came 0p s1r eJossdsrSeion, =
and per1fneutIy zsxz the couDfssf0u r
'atbe semS-aBn1al Inspection q the RAJ
roads Of tie state and the revised tariff
on the Sostbern Pacific are Mt matter
of fmpoFt2oes
The Guard adds Tns point = We
taken and shows the utter lsek Of eDr.-
esptiOs BY the eommi-si01 u the in
prygIaues Of the d1t-s that dSTOlvs
upou it, membeTs- As the inspection
Of the railroads hzs Bat been to tb
commission a matter u importance
the pQolie % not assured that there NJ
not be in the near future Another Lax
Llbish seci6eat wirh ms1zled Fenains
aG1 b5ee5inz and bryken limbs II a.
Advance by the S0gtbsFn Pacific of fully
6fty per cent over what the rates even
were before there wzs . commissiOO,
aad at time when II there Was 70 be 3
change 1t ali IL shOGid have been re-
dGesion 10 rates, is Likewise unimpOrt-
ant 70 this eymmissiOD, then the wOB-
der h what m&oner of pFOcseding-
wOuId IL Be that WJ1Id strike this com-
mission ~ ''important." They have
not heard, perhaps. that freight rAtes
On the SoutheTn Pacific have beeDm-
90 exhorbitant THAI AL summer long
Eugene shippers have been compelled
20 h&ol freight forty miles by team and
it Ii possible that they have not learned
that the Southern Pacific has raised
rates At all. This failure to compre-
bend tie ''importancs' Of iis duties
will result 10 the abollshmsnt Of an in
stitutIon, that under an honest mAn-
Agsment Wa becedeial 10 the people.
The Old eommissiOu condemned the
Isabish bridge a. rosten, and pat rates
Ia force that were 3 reduction. For This
TIE JOUEsAL and the independent
press of the state commended the old
commission. THE JOURNAL was op-
posed to the old commission until il
''got in" and did something to
redeem IL from the record Of in-
capacity aud inanity which 1t had
made Ia its earlier history. THE jour.
NAL hoped for better things from the
present commission but its first action
showed IL was hOpeless!y asleep in the
arms Of the corporation sirena Ii will
only awake TO find itseIf abolished and
leaving bad reputation behind. IL
hAs not reputation for honest manage
ment even. There l. not q Newspaper
In the state now that does not Condemn
the record Of the present commission so
far ~ made. The commission Al present
does not enjoy the confidence Of the
people. II enjoys only the confidence
ofthe corporation managers who elected
IL, and who from the start have given
II bad name. The public expects
nothing from the present board except
faithful loyal representation Of the cor
porAtIon interests which they have
chssen 10 serve instead Of serving the
people who are taxed to support them.
Some men are born fools. SJms make
fools Of themselves by long and per.is
tent practices. Others are Oyertaken By
fatal f,llies that seem to be thrust upon
them by external circumstances. With
the Oregon Railroad Commission Il has
been q clear case OF deliberate choice.