The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-11
rs MR.. CLARK BUSY9

Railroad Commissioners La Rue and
Stanton have attracted all the attention
which has been devoted to that board OF
late, and Commissioner Clark has re-
manned in the background. This means
to say that Commissioner La Rue first pro-
posed certain reduction OF freight rates
which concerned wheat only, and that
Commissioner Stanton has come forward
with a resolution which makes Commits
sioner La Rue's proposition appear insig-
niticant in comparison, because Commits
sioner Stanton proposes to reduce all rates
to conform to the pledge which he took be-
fore the convention that nominated him.
In this measure he has announced his in
tention to give the Southern Pacific Com
pany credit for the voluntary reductions
which it made in the latter part OF 1894.
This proposition seems to have set Com
missioner La Rue to thinking. In any
event it seems that Commissioner La
Rues resolution to reduce the wheat tariff
cannot be carried, and that Commissioner
Stanton's scheme for general reduction
on all transportable commodities is not in
tended to be made effective until the 1st of
next January, when every possible article
been shipped.
However futile and idle the apparent
efforts of these two Democratic members
of the board may seem they may never
theless prove to have certain political
value. The public is not insensible to the
fact that seven months had elapsed be-
tween the election of the members and
their assumption of the obligations which
they assumed, and that such assumption
was coincident with the severe castigation
which the local press administered to the
commission on the score of its Incidence.
Seemingly, under the influence of that
prodding the two Democratic Commission
ers, who constitute the majority of the
board, and who were bound under specific
pledges to make reduction, came forward
with certain limping propositions, the ulti-
mate result of which is not to be felt until
the crops of the current year have been
moved. While the people Of the State are
awake to the sham of all these proceed
ings, they still remember that Commits
sioner Clark is member of the board, and
they observe with amazement that he has
not made even a pretense Of an endeavor
to serve the interests of the people.
AS the representative OF the Republican
party Mr.. Clark has been elected to an op-
portunity for announcing the policy of
that great organization. We all know that
he was not elected under a pledge, we
know equally well that the party which
elected him pledged its history and its
faith in presenting him as candidate, and
that in securing his election it reposed the
rep utation of the party in his hands.
Has he kept this great faith? Has he
made any attempt to show that as repre-
sentative of the Republican party he has
aimed to be representative of the people?
Has he given any evidence that he desires
to be known as a student of the needs of
the people? On the contrary, is it not
clear that he has done nothing whatever,
but has left the fight to his political antag
onists in the board, and so has connlved
in scheme to obscure the political force
of the party which he represents and leave
all the glory to the other side? These are
questions which Mr.. Clark has an oppor-
tunity to answer with actions-unless, in
deed, it is too late. All good citizens are
anxiously awaiting a response from him.