The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-25
MESSAGE FOR MR.. CLARK,

perusal, leisure to reflect upon its meaning
and opportunity to act upon Its sugges-
tions when the board of which you are
member meets again. This message en-
braces four propositions which are sub
mitted to your sense of reason and OF honor.
They are these:
First-You are the Republican member
of the State Board of Railroad Commits
sioners. You were elected as such by the
majority of the voters of the district you
represent. You have taken no specific
party pledge for the reduction or regula-
ton of railroad rates. Your duties and
obligations are defined by the constitu-
ton Of the State, aud they could be
neither increased nor lessened by a
party pledge. You are bound by your
oath of office to regulate transportation
charges in California in accordance
with what is right and just as be-
tween the people and the transportation
companies. In the acceptance of this
trust you undertook to maintain not only
your own integrity as an officer and as
man, but you also engaged to maintain
the honor Of the party to which you be-
long. 1t is more than seven months since
you took your oath of office and entered
upon your duties of Railroad Commits
sioner. What have you done in the per-
Torrance of your duty during that periodP
What preparations have you made for the
intelligent execution of your trust2 How
well have you equipped yourself for the
action which will be required of you
at the meeting of the Railroad Commission
on next Wednesday, You are aware that
the accusation is being widely made and
very generally believed that you are
creature and tool of the Southern Pacific
Company, and that you will act as such
whenever the issue of reduction in the
freight rates of this corporation comes be-
fore the commission. What have you to
say to these accusations, and what do you
intend to do to check the spread OF this
suspicion?
Second-The term of Office of Railroad
Commissioner is four years, and the salary
thereof is $4,000 year. This is the amount
of salary received by the Superior Judges
of the State. The law provides that courts
of justice shall be always open for the
transaction of business, and requires that
Superior Judges shall give their whole
time to the duties of their Office. The
duties of the Office of Railroad Commits
sioner are either small or great and
require either very little or a very large
amount of time for their proper perform
ance. If the duties of your Office are slight,
why have you not performed them during
the time which has expired since your
electionP If the duties of your Office are
great, why should you not equally with
,boIo
time to mastering the details and perform
ing the duties of your Office? How much
of your salary have you received since
your term of Office began? How much
time have you devoted to the performance
of your official duties during that period
How much in the way of an equivalent
have you given to the taxpayers of Califor-
MIA for the salary you have thus far re-
ceived? How far do you intend to go on
next Wednesday toward making up what
ever deficit there may be in the account
between yourself and the people of the
State2
Third-It is rule of law that the burden
of proof in any issue shall rest upon the
party which possesses exclusively and in
peculiar sense the knowledge of the fact to
road companies and the people of the State
of California the ability to establish what
rates are reasonable, considering the actual
cost OF the construction and operation of
the roads, rests with the railroad COM
panies in an exclusive and peculiar sense.
In view of this admitted truth what
application will you make of the above
named rule of evidence in reaching your
conclusions as to the RESPONSIVENESS of
railroad rates? Is it not clearly your duty
to require the railroad company, out of
the fullness and exclusiveness of its knowl-
edge of the cost, expense and earnings of
its roads, to establish that their present
rates are reasonable, instead of requiring
the people of California, out of their
meagerness of knowledge of railroad
finances, to prove that they are not?
Fourth-At the next meeting of the
Railroad Commission Mr.. La Rue will
move the adoption of the schedule of
transportation charges upon grain which
at the last meeting of the board he pre-
sented. Do you intend, Mr.. Clark, to
adopt or TO oppose the adoption of this
schedule? II you intend to oppose it,
what will you have to offer as substitute
for it? What will you have to show as the
reason for your opposition? 1t will not do
to do nothing in this matter. 1t will not
suffice to plead ignorance as to whether
the schedule of Mr.. La Rue is Just
or unjust. 1t will not constitute
a performance of your official duty
to urge delay in the adoption of
this or of some other schedule. The
grain product of the State is now being
moved, and it is imperative that the
freight rates upon this commodity should
be adjusted at once if the producers are to
receive any benefit from their reduction
during the present year. You must.
therefore, be prepared to act next
Wednesday. The eyes of the people are
on you. The enemies OF your party are
asserting that you are a railroad tool and
that in this emergency you will be true to
it and false to your trust and to your party.
Mr.. Railroad Commissioner Clark the
people of the State of California ask you
plainly, What do you intend to do?
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BEAUTY IN ARCHITECTURE.
The design of The CALLS fifteen-story
building is that of a very graceful and