The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-14
A COMMISSION FOR FLORIDA.
The Legislature Urged to Put the
Railroads Under Control of One

Railroads Under Control of One
Monticello. Fla. April 13.-Wm the leg
stature at its present session pass a bill
creating a railroad commission2 II not,
why not? If the principle be a correct
one, not single good reason can be
given for the delay. 1t would be a waste
Of time TO prove that a railroad commits
sion is a national and state institution
that has come to stay. and il NAV as
we'll be said that IL the present general
assembly fails to establish one, some fu-
lure legislature will
The present financial depression is given
as a reason for the delay. This tender
consideration for the weary taxpayer is
cOmmendable, but is it sfncere2 Every in
teligent man in the state knows, every
legislator ought to know. that IL a bin
could be gotten through the legislature re-
pealing every useless, eNtraVasant, super
fous, redundant office there would be ann
pie means to defray the cost of a railroad
commission.
Again, it is charged that should such
a commission be established, the positions
would be filled by a lot of political dead
beats. who would either ruin the railroads
by pandering 70 the unreasonable pre-
JUDGE of a portion of the people, or else
sell out to the railroads and betrav the
interests Of the people. The democrat
who seriously makes such a charge gives
his party away" and confesses that il is
unfit TO control the great interests Of the
state
The legislature ought to have the moral
courage to settle forever this question
fTaught with grave peril to the best in
terests of the party as well as of the
. state. The people have rights and the
railroads have rights, and both should
be sacredly guarded. There ought to be
no strained relations between the people
and the roads, The people of the state
have been generous to the railroads. and
in return, the latter have splendidIv de-
veloped the resources of our great state.
"Ephraim ought not to vex judah, nor
Judah Ephraim'-we be brethren or
ought to be, in our common purpose
10 build up state, whose unrivaled re-
sources and attractions, nOtWithstand-
ing the great freeze, are destined to make
1t one of the richest states of the union
While majority of the people are very
friendly to the roads, in recognition of the
great benefit they have done the state
still it cannot be denied that blatant
demagogues, in order to ride into Office
and with the slogan of Corporations
versus the people, are seeking to array
the people of the state against the rail-
roads, the latter, justly alarmed, are
taking an active and unwarranted inter-
est in the political affairs of the state
in order TO protect their interests against
the threatened hostile legislation. Herein
lies the danger, precipitated upon US by
INSCRIPTIONS demagogues who care
nothing for the true interests of the
people, only to foist themselves into
office-a struggle between the people and
the railroads for political supremacy
The people are poor, the corporations
are rich and powerful, controlling all
the lines of transportation in the state
zeal power is always dangerous, even in
the hands of the representatives of the
people, how infinitely more SO in the con-
troll Of a corporation
Are the people of the state prepared
to see the scepter of their political power
pass into the hands of a great and pow
erful corporation?
Let the legislature calling into its
counsels all the wisdom of the state, pass
a bill that will give broad even-handed
justice TO both parties, giving upon the
commission one representative of the
railroads. another of the great agricul-
tural class, and third from the COM
mercial class, and the threatened danger
will be forever averted
4 commission composed of men of pro-
nounced proficiency in the several voca-
tons they represented, with a reputation
Tor fairness and liberality would do much
10 allay the apprehension of the corpora
TONS who would naturally withdraw
from the domain of politics and confne
themselves to their legitimate mission of
developing the states resources, while
the untriendly feeling of the people, kept
alive by selfish politicians, would soon
subside, thus subscribing the best inter-
ests OF both people and corporations.
Taf