The morning call., 1894-10-18
AN HONEST BOARD.
Address of the Traffic
Association.
1t Calls Upon the People to Elect the
Right Men for Railroad
commissioners.

The following address to the people of
California was adopted at meeting of
the Traffic Association yesterday:
| Railroad charges and railroad abuses have
| long been the subject of complaint, and they
are indeed, oppressive and iutolerable, absOr b.
| ing all the profits of industry and business.
! The farmers, manufacturers, merchants and
even the mechanics and la0orers Of the State
! therefore find their emouments reduced to the
| lowest poin All who work are In tact work
| ing for the benefit OF the railroad company, and
! getting for themselves at most bare living,
| sometimes not even that.
While all the rewards OF industry are thus re-
| duced 10 minimum railroad charges alone re-
main excessive They will continue so as long
as we allow the railroad company TO dictate,
through the political bosses, who shall be he
candidates for the Office OF Railroad Commits
sioDerS. Those officers establish the rates OF
railroad charge within the State, and they only
can give legal relirf. To allow them 10 be
selected by the railroad company is palpably
absurd.
The Traffic Association of California was or
ganZed three years ago for the correction Of
railroad abuses. BY reopenlng the ocean and
! isthmus routes TO San Francisco we have
! greatly cheapened transportation between Cali
! fOrnia and the Eastern States, and saved to the
! people OF the State many million dollars. Local
| rates are, however, still oppressive, and. while
! awaiting the effect of competition. yet TO be
| created in reducing them, the time has come
| for the election of the Commissioners who are
TO establish what they shall be for the next four
/ years. The action of the political nveutions
! OF The season showed clearly that the bosses
were bent on pursuing this year the same course
| as hitherto, that of giving the platform to
| the people and the candidates TO the
| railroad COMPANY When this became ap-
parent we were urged by voters of
all classes not to allow the election OF
| Commissioners to 60 by default against the
! people. but TO name candidates for the Office
on whom the friends of reform could all unite
regardless OF party preferences. After full iu-
| quiry and consultation, we selected and we
now recommend to your support the following
| candidates, VIZ:
In the First District. Hugh NJ. La Rue.
In the Second District, Alfred j. Marcus.
In the Third District, w. W. Phillips.
In nominating them we have completed our
! duty. 1t is for the voters 10 either elect or re-
| iect them. The form OF The new ballot does
| not permit any one TO vote straight party
| ticket and cast the blame OF bad result On the
| convention that named the candidates. Each
| voter must distinctly express his individual
| preference for particular man for each Office
to be filled. II you favor a reform In transport
| tation charges vote for the candidates we have
! presented to YOU
| If there be any voters who have not made up
their minds as o which side they are on in this
| question we would beg them TO consider the
| following:
| The year 1898 was the most disastrous 10 all
| business interests that this State has ever e1-
| perienced. financial revulsiou OF unexan-
Piled severity swept over the country. prostrat-
| ing people engaged 10 every branch of industry.
The crops were small in quantity and prices
| were lower than ever before. No business
yielded a profit, ana the few who closed their
books at the end of the year without writing
| of large sums for losses were fortunate indeed
Yet the annual report OF the Southern Pacific
| Company. published last APRIL shows IhaG on
| December 81 1893 the Southern Pacific Rail-
ROAD oil California paid dividend OF per cent
| on its whole capital stock. The Southern Pa
| cine OF Arizona divided 5 per cent on It's !;
that Of New Mexico the same.
! IL Is known that every dollar of the capital
STOCK OF these roads is fictitious; their out
standing bonds are over 25 per cent more than
! the cost or value of the whole concern. The
| aggregate OF This fictitious capital is S94, ,779.
700, ana IL look To pay this dishonest dividend
! just So, .977, all which monsirous sum was
wrung from the hard hands of the tolers OF
/ This State by The insirumentality of a facile
| Board OF Railroad Commissioners elected four
years ago. DO you wish to repeat the same
experience for the next four years? Ii VIII cost
you for this Item alone something over sl3..
| 500, 900 besides their innumerable other exac.
| tions. Ii you relish the prospect OF paving this
monstrous lax ana paying BoArd of Railroad
| Commissioners, nominated and elected through
railroad influences. $4,000 per year each for
legally imposing 1t oil you, elect such as vour
| CominIssioners-neyer doubt they will keen
| their end OF the rgain and saddle this tax on
| vou II you feel otherwise record your votes
for H. ~ La Rue in the First District for A
J. Marcus in the Second. and for w. w Phil
ips In the Third, and let us for once Q what
nm honest Board of Railroad Commits sioners
can do toward our relief from railroad oppres-
sion.