The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-26
MR.. LA RUE's PLEDGE.

1t is to be hoped that Railroad Commits
sioner La Rue is not engaged in nursing
the delusion that he has performed his
whole duty to the State of California or
fulfilled his pledge to the Democratic party
by the simple act of making a motion to
reduce transportation rates upon grain.
1t may be well to remind Mr.. La Rue of
the exact measure of his duty as defined
by his pledge. The pledge was: THAT the
charge for the transportation OF freight in
California by the Southern Pacific Com
pany should be subjected to an average
reduction of at least 25 per cent, and we
pledge our nominees for Railroad Com
missioners to make this reduction so justly
demanded by the people,"
1t is to be observed that the above pledge
which Mr.. La Rue has taken is not con-
fined to grain rates. 1t extends to every
commodity upon which freight is over
charged by the Southern Pacific Company.
Of these the item of grain is not by any
means the only important one, nor
is it the only class of freight upon
which is laid a grevious burden of Excess
sive rates. The orchardists, the truck
farmers and the retail dealers in general
merchandise have an equal right to relief
with the farmers. During his seven
months of arduous labor in the prepare
ton OF his proposed grain schedule Mr..
La Rue does not seem to have considered
these equally outraged shippers at all, nor
has there been thus far at least any intima-
ton on his part that he intends to bear
them in mind.
There is another remark which might be
made at this point of time for the benefit
of Mr.. La Rue. The grain schedule which
he has offered is, in form at least, not a
very ponderous or intricate affair. In
fact, far from consuming seven long
months in its preparation it could
have been, every word and figure,
conceived, prepared and filed within half a
day by any one who had the present grain
schedule of the Southern Pacific Company
before him. 1t is the work of clerk rather
than of Commissioner. If Mr.. La Rue has
spent seven months on his grain schedule
it will take seventeen years to reform
the remainder of the schedule. 1t may be
remarked also that this grain schedule
comes along rather late in the season to be
of much benefit to the farmers this year,
for the major portion of their grain will be
shipped at the old rate before the new one
can by any possibility go into effect.
In view of these facts we hope that Mr..
La Rue will not begin just yet to pose as
the only Simon-pure rate-reformer and
anti-monopoIist in California, nor yet
awhile hang out his banner (for Governor)
on the outer wall. In truth he has thus
far done very little TO either earn
his salary, justify an effusion of
eulogy or warrant very great outlay of
public confidence. He deserves some
credit for having made rather tardy move
toward doing something. We accord him
that measure of praise, no more. The
meeting of next Wednesday ought to
give the public an object lesson as to the
utility of the commission and the
fidelity to duty of its members, not
excluding Mr.. La Rue. He has not yet
been relieved of the suspicion awakened
by the mastery inactivity of himself and
his associates in the past, and along with
the rest he is still subject in large degree
to the indictment of official incompetence
and neglect.