The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-12
Florldn comn,ll. mnrl-KarI.

Florida has gone TO the farthest ex-
treme In the enactment OF a law which
might be termed ian act to prevent rail-
road building and for the discourage
ment Of capital" It is PopulIsm run
mad and Is far In advance of all schemes
yet devised for the confiscation of prop
erty and the destruction of corporate
rights. The act regulating railroads
within the state and establishing rail-
road commission for that purpose re-
Gently passed the Legislature. Robert p.
Porter, in the New York Mail and Ex-
press, describes It's provisions, Under
the new law the railroad commission can
fix rates, order the construction OF pas
sanger stations and has authority to ar
range schedules and to say at what
times trains must arrive and depart
from a given point. The railway off,
clals must report to the commission
every transaction and keep their books
open for it's inspection, Every free pass
granted must be reported to the COM
mission; In short the commission abso-
lutely runs the railroad business in
Florida and the owners have no more TO
say regarding the running Of their own
business than II they did not own dol
lar OF the stock. Even the salary list
must be reported to the commission,
which. the inference Is has the power to
regulate salaries.
And after all this remarkable legisla-
ton, the provision Is that but one prac-
tlcal railroad man shall be on the COM
mission. OF the remaining two, one will
be a farmer and the other lawyer
neither of whom has had any experience
in managing railroad business Mr., Por-
ter commenting on this action OF the
Florida legislation, says;
Railroads In Florida need encourage
ment, not restraint, The volume OF
railroad business In the state Is very
small, the distances very great, and
there is no through business. No traf-
fic-passenger or RIGHTEOUSNESS from
one state into another through Flori-
da There is nothing south or east OF
Florida to and from which traffic Is ia
ken, consequently the roads have to re-
ly on local business, and as this Is
small and much spread out, compare
lively steep rates have to be charged
to clear expenses. If the idea OF the
Florida legislature was to stop railroad
III hs.a cot Iaa
attained. For the outlook for building
railroad in state whose commits
sioners practically take charge OF the
most important function tn connection
with running them, namely, the liking
of rates, is not such as TO offer any
temptation to capitalists to invest their
money there.
1t is such legislation as this, advocated
by the new school of reformers, that Is
calculated to cause capital to hesitate
before investing In a state. 1t is the
natural development Of the Populistle
ideas which have taken possession of so
many western and southern states and a
large part of the Democratic party. 1t
is the evolution OF the doctrines of the
Debses and Altgelds. who are attracted
to Mr.. Bryan because they believe him
TO come the nearest to representing
thair ideas Happily the national man
agement Of affairs has been spared from
the control of these wrecKers.
The reason of the people win prevail
In the end. The experience that Florida
will have in retarding her own develop
ment will prove an object lesson which
will NOE be lost on the remainder of the
country, just as PopulIstic control of
Kansas has been lesson to other states.