The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-28

must be stopped. 1t is mere robbery of the
people to tax them interest upon the value
Of privileges that they have given the cor
porations There Is no sense in it.
Another Phase
Just one other proposition in connection
with that for a moment and l have done.
When these propositions were in the air a
committee of railroad employees sent to
Sacramento (by whom they were sent do
not know, but the documents which they
brought from Sacramento read very much
like some literature emanating from the
chief attorneys office Of the Southern Pa
cific company, protesting against our TAX
ing any action concerning the reduction Of
freights and fares, because, they said, "any
reduction of freights and fares against the
railroad company will be sure to result in
an attempt on the part of such companies
to recoup themselves by reducing our
wages" Therefore, they were opposed to
any reduction of freights and fares. Now,
that is a bad situation in which to have
twenty thousand of our people,
We determined to meet that situa alton in
way which is perfectly feasible. We pro-
vded in our platform that the state board
Of railroad commissioners in allowing
opei"'''7 eNp vi '".n GIMP III
'"e pun po'e VI "N'"e .ie'e "'s anu i'i % was
"i"A'"e i,"p'ope ai'o"anoe ioi "asea u
men ei"pioseu w SUI" COMPANIES anu 'la'
such coi"p anies sha'i oe eoinpo''eo " pay
inc wages NAppiause'l ou. 'hey say tha'
Is chaiheiicai' 'hat 10 interfering With the
private ruies OF the empower anu efhployeo'
that is unoemocrauc' NOT at all.
A railroad is quasi public corporation,
exercising public powers The power of
eminent domain. No railroad ten miles
I'm length could be, built anywhere in this
country except by the use of the public
power of eminent domaine a public power
that can never be used except for public
purposes. They use 1t for public purposes
and if they came to you and claimed
strip of land through your farm or through
your lot and appealed to the power of emf
nent domain to compel you to give it up,
they don't tell you they want 1t for private
purposes. If they did you could stop them
right there. They say they want IT Tor
ruphc purposes' 1or puphc use as puoilc
h'ghwaS' You are ophgeu TO ylelo' Ihey
Set the s'rlp vi iai'"' puiiU .he ioau al"
the nlolieht .ney nave eo' 'he ioau li,eS
say ms ioau Is our priVa'e properly.
No' ui's i''e"us. Nv ianioau II, '"is s'a'e
y, any o'"ei ''a'o 10 'ne piV"'o ~
VI " 0aN .oi'ipa' 10 P"D mo
Ns' nv .A'-,,
-. .l,,,. 80 =. r.. 49,
a.,,. % 49,. .,.1
49,. 49,. .,sxl. - .oo,,,,..
era,,,,ts ~ soros ,d,.o i;r,;+ oh.rrss Co.
.ro,a.nor,ot;on - ov.rois,,x oortro, o,,ar
a ouasi nrhuc function INV such cornora-
tion and in exinp, freiphts and fares # is
the dirty of the state through its commits
sions as esta,,lished IN this state first "a
allow to the company its GENERATING ex
penses.
Has anv railroad comnanv the right. after
having certified that its operating expenses
are thus and so. after having certified that
II pays wages at such rates 10 different en-
Moves that II pavs two dollars and half TO
4 certain class of laborers in it's employ
can It be right either for that company to
nav those men two dollars a day and pocket
the other half dollar which the state has
allowed for operating expenses? Or can IT.
he right nm the mart If the state tn allow
anv comnarv that has certified that II navs
two dollars and half dav wapes IN car
tain class of employes to cut that wages
down and pocket, the difference? Certain
" the state should not allow IT.
So that 'there is no danger TO the wages
of labor in the proposition which we make
and that proposition at once places the in
terests of the railroad employees of this
state with the interests of their brethren
" no are not employed. but who are being
robbed bv the companies themselves
desire to explain this railroad proposition al
some length because IL is one of the storm