The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-10-17

public in it's rights. This principle has
oeeh adopted by the national govern
ment in the interstate commerce conn
mission. and by large number Of
states The second reason for
the provision for a railroad commits
sion in the state constitution is found
IN the Importance of settling question
once Tor all, which, if not thus settled.
IS certain to prove a disturbing and
corrupting element in our state poli-
| tics. II the whole question is left
open to legislation, any effort to estab-
.ish commission will be fought by the
corporations, and it may be a long
time. and not till after abuses have be-
come fragrant. that the thing can be
| accomplished. If anybody doubts this
statement he has but to see how earn
estly the pending proposition to fix the
principle in the constitution has been
fought by the railroad interests at
olympia
In view of the history of the recent
state convention at Olympia these
words have an almost prophetic ring.
Certain it is that the proposition to
establish a railroad commission has
been fought by the railroad interests
with all the vigor, energy and resource
at their command and certain it is that
1t has not been accomplished although
abuses have already become fragrant.
Certain it is that the failure of the con-
stitutional convention to fix the princi-
pie once for all in the constitution has
proven a disturbing and corrupting ell
ement in our politics.
No Excuse for DereIiction.
In another editorial published Aug.
s, the P.-I. declared that for the con-
vention to fail to establish this prin-
ciple in the constitution would be for
it to fail where there was no excuse
for dereliction. To quote:
If the constitutional convention adj
way for the creation of a railroad COM
mission it will fail in an important duty
to the state. 1t will fail where there
is no excuse for dereliction to set up
between the railroads and the peo-
| pie a means which will certainly be
needed for the protection of the pub
! lie interest in the future
| These arguments of the Post-Intelli-
gencer, like the arguments on the sub
Ject advanced by Judge Turner on the
floor of the convention, show a compre-
| hensive grasp of the Importance Of the
measure under consideration. and they
are as good reading now, that the prop
Osition is up again. as they were at the
time they were written and published.
Predicted Political Corruption.
| But the constitutional convention
failed in this important duty" AS was
/ pointed out by Judge Turner on the
! floor of the convention the first time it
came up for consideration 80 MEM
bers voted for it. But the town of
Olympia was flooded with railroad lob
byists of high and low degree and when
the provision came up again for con-
si,ieratiOn the railroad commission
forces could only muster % votes, and
later their strength fell to 26. This fail
uTe of the convention to establish the
commission principle in the constitu-
ton and settle the matter once for all
was pointed out in the POst-Intelli-
gencer later as one of the three fatal
defects of the work of the convention.
After the convention adjourned, in an
editorial published Aug. %, the P-I.
said:
Tho mistakes of the convention, we
believe, lie chiefly in it's failure to de-
fine the policy Of the state in the mat
ter Of its vast tide-land property, in it-
provision practically cOnfiscating the
landed property of aliens, and in it's
failure to establish a practical plan for
third, relative to railroads, will be a
fruitful source of business damage and
political corruption
This is exactly what this third Short
coming of the convention has been
proven by years of experience to be,
"a fruitful source of business damage
and political corruption"
How the p.-l.' Has Fallen.
The quotations from the Post-Intel-
ligencer here cited are taken from the
files of the paper published at a time
when it had some basis for it's claim
TO be u newspaper and before it had
fallen from that high estate to the COM
monplace level OF a personal organ for
use in promoting the candidacy of its
owner for election to the United States
senate. The extent of this fall is in
Dictated by comparison of these
strong. truthful. sincere utterances with
this utterance ,on the same subject