The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-12-09
THE PLEA OF THE RAILROAD.

ROM the evening organ of the Southern Pa
ci6c Company there has come plea for the
adoption of Assembly constitutional amend
ment No. 2S. The plea is that the creation OF the
commission proposed by the amendment would be
"an experiment worth trying" 1t is said: 'True,
the proposed commission would be invested with ex-
traordinary powers, but it cannot fail to be more
satisfactory than the present irresponsible system,
because its members will be elected and in time will
respond to popular demand for executive action
The plea is more ingenious than valid. 1t contains
suppression of truth and suggestion OF false
hood The present system of dealing with the issues
is proposed to transfer to the extraordinary
mission is not irresponsible On the contrary, it is
far more directly responsible to public opinion than
the proposed commission would be. Moreover, the
members of the commission would not be elected for
many year to come. The amendment provides that
the original members are to be appointed by the
Governor. One of them is to hold office for two
years, another for four another for six, another for
eight and the fifth for ten years 1t will therefore be
fully six years before majority of the extraordinary
commission will be composed of members elected by
the people.
The railroad organ says: Uniform action on the
subject of insurance banking, water rates gas rates
and equalization ought to be introduced into this
State by some process, and if this is a good plan
ii is certainly worthy of trial To that plea the
ply is plain. The State has already provided for uni
formty with respect to banking, insurance and equal
ization by commissions created for that purpose
There is desire for uniformity of water and OF gas
rates. for the simple reason that demand and supply
OF those articles depend upon local conditions and
rates cannot be made uniform throughout the State
At present they regulated by local authority, and
in the hands of such authorities they should remain
=
pleadngs which from first to last founded upon
misstatements of the issue The railroad organ does
not define accurately the scope of the proposed
amendment, but presents it as plan designed to
abolish number of State and county boards and
commissions and to merge their duties into single
board possessing all the powers previously exercised
That is very clever way indeed of putting the
As matter of fact the amendment would subvert all
local authority in regulating such matters of
purely local concern water and gas rates, and
would create a commission having control Of the re-
laons to the public o. all the great corporations of
the State Moreover it would vest the right to ap-
point the original members of the commission in the
hands of the present Governor; that is to say, it
would give the corporations themselves the right
dictate the membership of the commission and con
troll it absolutely for at least six years.
If there were no other objection to the extraordin-
airy scheme the championship OF the evening railroad
organ would in itself suggest objection The
railroad does not support the evening organ for
nothing. 1t is known that the Southern Pacific Com
pany subsidies the Post the extent of over $4,000
month. and that it IS the mouthpiece of w. F. Her
rim. When Mr.. Hays president of the road he
desired to sell the organ a bit of prop
erty useless to a company engaged in legiti-
mate railroad business. However, it was not
sold. 1t remains subject to Herrin's orders
and works for the accomplishment of his
schemes Consequently the fact that it indorses the
extraordinary commission is a sufficient warning to
the public that there is danger ahead The extraor-
binary commission appointed by Governor Gage
would be Herrn commission for six years to come.
That in itself is sufficient reason for defeating the
scheme