Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1901-02-22
RAILROADS AND THE HOUSE.
H. KING WHITE

SAiLHCHCo ANU TIE TOOSE.
 The House has passed Representa- tiFe Futrell's bill to force the rail- roads of the State to defray the ex- penses of the Railroad Commission
 The State Railroad Commission was created two years ago. For sey- eral years prior thereto the subject Of a railroad commission was agitated in the State, and politicians were want to work themselves into a white heat in denunciation of the railways of Arkansas, the Iron Mountain Rail- road bearing the brunt of the fight. A railroad commission would make several fat places for ex-office holders and broken down politicians, besides the agitation of the subject would af- ford the agitators and ofice-seekers an opportunity to show their loyalty to the "pee-pul' and get red in the face when addressing public audi enees. The people Were made to be- lieye that the Gould family were nothing but ghouls in human shape. and that all railroad operators were mere Shylocks. This agitation result ed in the passage of railroad com mission bill at the last session of the General Assembly, but the Legisla- ture then had decency enough to re- quire the State, since the State was presumed to be the beneficiary to de- fray the expense of said commission
 As Was expected, number of hun gry ex-office-holders were appointed on the commissioners number of inn practicable Missionaries who were about as capable of running a rail- road as saw mill The result has been that the Railroad Commission has been gigantic failure, absolute " worthless if not positively harm ful to the State. It has proven an expense and a burden, without any compensatlng advantages to the State Whatever. Since it has proven failure and a burden, the House has taken upon itself the responsibility of shifting the expense of the commits sion from the State to the railroads. This is double taxation and an un- just burden upon the railroads. The theory is that the commission is for the benefit of the people If for the people, then the expense should be borne by the State, and it is undigni- fled and unjust, if not unconstitution. al, for the State to require the rail roads to pay the expense of a com mission sustained for the purpose of annoying them
 Arkansas needs more railroads There can be no development of our native resources-of field, farm. mine or factory-without railroads. They are great civilizers and developers. The more of them the better. Last year Arkansas stood second among the States of the Union in the num- Der of miles of railroad built. but rail road construction in Arkansas should not be permitted to languish until the iron horse traverses every county in the State,
 But railroads will not come where they are not encouraged, and we very much fear that the anti-railroad legis- lation being enacted by our radical House of Representatives will be a serious blow to railroad construction in Arkansas The House has already passed bill reducing passenger fare to 2-cents per mile, and now have passed the bill saddling the expense of worthless railroad commission on the railroads of the State Thus. 1t will be seen that the House pro- poses to curtail the receipts with one hand and increase the expense of the railroads operating in this State with the other