The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-02-28
By William Francis Guion.

sacrificed to save his scamp of SUI
perior.
And since that first blunder, the
history of the interstate commerce
! commission has been a series of blum
ders. No condition has arisen to
which it has proved equal.
Yet that commission has been freer
from petty politics than have the
different state commissions. Instead
of reducing the railroad corruption
fund the state commissions have in
creased 1t. What is job of voting
on gas, telephone, or street railway
franchise compared to the job of a
CRATER with the power to cut railroad
rates?
What state in the union, outside of,
possibly, Wisconsin, can point with
pride to it's state railroad commits
sion. In Wisconsin the people have
been favored with shipping facilities
J along a lengthy shore line and have
been able to oppose the water haul
to the all rail haul. Yet Senator La
Toilette admits the beginning has
only been reached.
In other states the reverse side of
the picture Is shown. One illustra-
ton of drastic laws may be given.
| When Texas, some years ago, de-
cided that she was bigger than the
railroads and the remainder of the
Union, her legislature passed laws
commanding that the general head
quarters of every railroad crossing
the state lines, must be established
in the state.
| No sooner had this law gone into
effect than erratic Kansas decided
she, too. must have the general offices
of the railway companies, and q law
similar to the Texas law was passed.
What was the result? Both states
have lost money through the with.
drawal of investors. The railroad
companies gave them general officers.
One company took it's commercial
agent at Laredo and made him d.
rector, vice president, secretary and
general freight and passenger agent.
Once a year the general managers
car would stop in front of the depot
|
held. The same thing was repeated
in Kansas, Other roads followed the
plan and both states were made the
object of ridicule through the many
railroad pooh bahs they contained.
The great state of Washington
wants no pooh bahs-no grafters.
Without them its future is assured.
a
commission. The jobbers do not want
it. The people should not be called
upon to pay for it.
With the rapid growth of the state
business, the increased density of
traffic and the advantageous condi-
tions growing out of the building OF
the Panama canal, the problem OF
freight rates will work out itself
through sheer force OF physical con-
ditions.
The canal project will accomplish
that which railroad commission is
apt to destroy. With competitive
water haul to the coast cities, the
railroads will be compelled to estab.
fish an inland jobbing center. 1t is
to Spokane they must look to pre-
serve their traffic volume.
Their safety lies in making Spo-
kane the great inland jobbing center
To do this they must give Spokane
jobbers those rates on interstate com.
merce which will permit them to
undersell the coast jobbers with the
water haul rates.
This condition can not be brought
about by state commission doing
those things which will nullify the
physical forces bound to bring in,
creased prosperity to Spokane.
Legitimate state rates, at this
time will not help Spokane. Inter-
state rates-the rates from the east.
ern jobbing centers to Spokane--are
what the Spokane jobbers need.
Any thinking mainland any rail-
road man-will tell you that these
rates must come eventually as a mat
ter Of self preservation to the Spo,
kane railroads.
The time is fast approaching when
the railroads must have an inland
jobbing center--if not Spokane, then
some other city inland
Do not allow a state commission
to interfere with the selection of
Spokane az the great battle ground
between the water shipping and the
railroads.
Then will natural conditions work
out that success which theories and
artificialities can only hamper.
Tomorrow will come the first real
! struggle over Durhamism and Nc