The San Francisco call., 1895-08-02
Railroad Commissioners Who
Have Not Lived Up to
Promises.
DR.. STANTON STILL PRACTICES.
Meetings Frittered Away in Wran-
giles Over Patronage and
Minor Matters.

.ailroad interests are immense, and the
people have right to know what they are
doing to earn their salaries and the honors
thrust upon them.
Itwould take far more space to tell what
ihey have not been doing than to relate
What they have accomplished. 1t would
llso take some time to tell of the pledges
iisregarded and the time frittered away by
men who were chosen to guard the peo-
ple's interests and compel the Southern
Pacific Company to keep within the law.
These pledges were strong and were re-
seived with much enthusiasm at the time
IF the election. For instance, the platform
sf the Democratic party, the organization
that nominated Messrs. La Rue and Stan
on, who form majority OF the ooaro,
contains the following pledge:
We pledge our candidates for the Railroad
Commission to reduce the number OF freight
Nassiications one-half and that during their
term of Office they shall pursue their o!nclal
sbors unhampered by the demands of any
other business or avocation. And we further
pledge them to initiate needed reforms in the
freight schedules and elass1tcatlons without a
formal complaint being hled
Both Commissioners La Rue and Stanton
we're perfectly well aware that the plat
form contained these words, but was it
their intention to live up to them? Ap-
parently not, from what has happened
since the time they took their seats and
began wrangling over patronage. The
pledge specifi cally says that in case of
election they shall give up the business in
which they are engaged and devote their
entire time and attention to the business
pf the commission. Has this been done?
In the case of the San Francisco Commits
sloner certainly not.
The brass signs announcing that DR..
James 1. Stanton, surgeon, Is still in busl-
ness and ready for patients stare at
passers-by out of the doorway at 659 Clay
street, and those who mount to the head of
the stairs can walk, at the proper hours,
directly into the snug laboratory of the
Commissioner, who will attend to his
wants as soon as a string of patients who
are ahead of him can be ministered to.
DR.. Stanton seems to be largely in busi-
ness, and if appearances are any criterion
so much so as to preclude his doing much
else than attend to his practice. An at
tendant said yesterday that he could also
be seen from Z to 9 in the evening by those
who were unable to avail themselves OF his
services during the day.
If the words of the platform pledge were
how about those of Andrew Clunie, who
nominated him before the convention and
stood sponsor for him all through?
When DR.. Stanton's name was men
toned George T. Marye interposed and
asked:
Is it Dr. Stanton's intention to give up his
practice and devote his tull time to the busl-
ness OF the commission it he is elected?
To which Mr. Clunie replied:
Yes, it is his intention to give his life, if
necessary, to down this corporation.
This was putting it pretty strong and
placing DR.. Stanton more in the light of
an anti-monopolist than he had been pre-
viously, but perhaps Mr.. Clunle had been
instructed to pursue that course. AT any
rate Dr. Stanton's downing" has been
very mild operation thus far.
But a more serious phase of the broken
pledge lies in the promise to reduce the
mum Der of freight classitications one-half
and to bring about needed reforms with
out formal complaint being made to the
commission.
H. M La Rue said, while he was being
talked of as q candidate for nomination, 81
pledge myself to reduce to the lowest pos
sible notch" Mr.. La Rue is president of
the commission and man OF standing in
Sacramento.
The minutes of the meetings of the
have been held at least twice month since
that time, will show whether or not the
pledge relating to the number OF freight
classiications has been kept.
Denuded of the usual verbiage of minute
books they amount to about this much:
First meeting Temporary organization.
Second-More organization.
Third-Permanent organization
Fourth-Quarrel over patronage.
Fifth-More quarrels over patronage.
Sixth-Communications placed on file; more
fruitless ballots on patronage.
SeYenth-More communications placed on
ile
And so on to the present time, with oc-
casional brighter spots when some rail-
road officials appeared and spoke against
some of the changes advocated in some of
the aforementioned communications.
Not one word of reductions in the num-
Der of freight classifcations or in rates.
And this at time when the echoes of
the campaign had hardly died away and
the people were looking to the new COM
mission as to a new broom.
The people elected these men, and the
people have a right to call them to ac-
count for their official acts. Will they be
called to time or will they be permitted to
go on breaking pledges and frittering
away the peoples time?
Officials OF the Southern Pacific make
the startling statement that the company
has voluntarily reduced rates, but how
great or how small the reduction has been
they are unable to say, The figures are
not obtainable. There is no doubt that the
corporation has made some reductions
and the faithful ones at Market and Mont
gomery streets. who laugh when Hunting
ton smiles and sob when he sighs, say
they were made solely for the benefit of
the people. Merchants and shippers who
ought to know say that no reductions such
as was contemplated in the pledge taken
by the Railroad Commissioners have been
made, and that all the reductions were
either of no value or were ordered to freeze
out competitors.
J. c. Stubbs, third vice-president of the
Southern Pacific Company, made the
broad statement yesterday that the rail-
ways freight rates had been Systematically
reduced within the last two years. He
could not say how much, even appromI-
mately, these reductions amounted to in
the aggregate, though he did not believe
they reached anything like 25 per cent.
"Our policy" said he, "has been one of
voluntary reduction of freight rates,
though, of course, it is not possible to say,
offhand, what has been done in that direc-
tion.'
General Freight Agent Smurr explained
that changes in the tariffs between local
points in California were being made con-
stantly. These, however, were triling
aDd cOynr great uarja+v ~ d;f;ao