The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-16
AN ANXIOUS FORTNIGHT.

The people of the State will be under a
tense strain during the two next weeks.
Railroad Commissioner La Rue. in partial
fulfillment of the pledge under which he
was elected, has introduced resolu-
ton proposing reduction of Is to
20 per cent in freight charges on
wheat. 1t happens as somewhat
unfortunate coincidence that he is large
grower of grain, and hence that the pro-
posed reduction would be of great personal
benefit to him. If his investigation and
resolution had gone into the whole subject
of freight charges, covering all the prod
ucts on which the prosperity of the State
is based, his loyalty to the people and his
partial fidelity to his pledge would have
had better look.
This is all the more prominent in view
of the fact that the finer and more profit
able crops of the State, on which the South
ern Pacific Company makes its heaviest
charges, have nearly all been moved I'M
der the burdensome freight charges that
were in force when the Democratic can
didates for Railroad Commissioners took
their famous pledge, and that since their
election, nearly eight months ago, there
tigation and proposed action as that which
we have seen in the case of wheat. 1t
seems strange, also, that although Mr..
La Rue called attention to the fact that in
other States and countries -four is moved
at the same rates as wheat, he has not in
Guided that commodity IN his resolution.
We are not finding fault with Mr. La Rue
for his apparent desire to secure a reduc-
ton of freight charges on wheat, but it is
we'll that the whole situation should be IN
derstood. To that end it should not be
forgotten that as yet neither Mr.. La Rue nor
his Democratic coadjutor on the board has
exhibited any intention of keeping single
item of the pledge made before election.
These were that they would reduce freight
charges over the Southern Pacific in this
State at least 25 per cent, that they would
reduce the number of freight classifcations
at least 90 per cent, that they would insti
tute such other reforms as were needed,
and that they would give their whole time
to the duties of their Office, allowing no
private business whatever to intefere.
Mr.. La Rue certainly deserves credit for
having mastered even a small part of the
problems which he assumed to attack.
That is to say, he evidently has given close
attention to the matter of freight charges
on wheat. The others give no sign that
they have done even that much. Mr.. Clark
frankly admits that he has given the SUBJ
ject no study, but whatever may be ex-
pected of him in the way of duty his posi-
ton is very different from that of the two
Democratic members, who have bound
their loyalty under pledge. DR.. Stanton's
position is the most deplorable of all. The
fact that he wants time" to look into the
matter, and that he is so DESTROYS of giving
the Southern Pacific an opportunity for
preparing an elaborate defense on SUBJ
ject with which it is already perfectly
familiar, has an unfortunate look for him.
But it is too early yet to surmise what
the action of the Democratic majority on
the wheat resolution will be. DR.. Stan
toms virtual expressions OF contempt for
newspaper criticism, which is only the
criticism of all the eople of the State not
owned by the Southern Pacific, is dis
couraging. Mr.. La Rue displayed a very
different feeling. He realized that the
newspapers are right. Itwould be great
pity if DR.. Stanton should fail to realize
that the power of the Southern Pacific to
defy public opinion and control every
public officer of easy conscience and eager
purse is waning under the persistent moral
force of a public sense of wrong, and that
those who are not openly and fearlessly for
the people will inevitably be regarded as
the paid servants of the great monopoly.