The copper era., 1905-12-07

late among the newspapers ot Arl-
 zona that are not subsidized by the railroads in regard to railroad com mission. The Tucson Post states that a railroad commission was once created and existed in the territory, and that it was the most abject and pitiful failure imaginable. This is in accord with the idea recently sug- gested by the ERA that the people have little to expect from any
 creation of the legislature of Ari-
 zona, for the reason that the railroad
 influence is most powerful and In the
 past at least the legislature has been
 under the magnetic spell of the rali-
 roads. Of course if a commission Ecould be created, composed ot honest linen, it would be possible to secure
 relief, but the people tnemselVeS' who are vitally interested III tne
 matter seem to take no interest In
 +ba election of men to the legisla-
 ture who are free from company in
 Auence. We have recently had two shining Illustrations of what liberal
 management and reasonable rates
 will do. When Phelps-Dodge became
 disgusted with the treatment of the
 s. P. and built their road from Bis
 bee to Fl Paso, they immediately put on a much lower freight rate than the one then in effect over the Is. P. This new rate, with good
 service and liberal treatment, at
 once brought new energy and life to all Cochise county. They made a I-rate on ore from Tombstone to Fl Pase of S1.50 per ton, which enabled the companies to convert their old dumps into cash and to renew opera
 tions in the mines. They not only made a rate on ores, but on all con- modities, and they put coal and coke into Douglas at price that gives
 the smelters there an opportunity to
 compete with Fl Paso. Since the ad-
 vent of the Phelps-Dodge road into Cochise county that section has pros
 pered as no other part of the great
 west. When Phelps-Dodge became largely interested at Globe they went
 to tthaee-president of the Gila Valley ' railroad and demanded a living rate
 over the railroad. The management
 knew that they meant business, and the rate was made. Up to that time Globe had been dead camp, and the railroad, while making money in a . small way, was in wretched condition
 Since then all has changed. Globe
 has more than doubled in population,
 and the railroad, instead of running } a mixed train once a day, now has . passenger train, and is running from two to four long freight trains day A rate has been made which allows : ores to be shipped in from Bisbee which are needed for smelting pur poses, and the output has more thar trebled within a year and the camp has not fairly started. It would seen l that what Phelps-Dodge can do fO1 : themselves the people of Arizona ? through the legislature and courts t ought also to be able to do. In other f words, if Phelps-Dodge can compel a railroad company to make a decent ? and living freight rate, which has brought new energy and vitality tc an entire county, then Ccr tafnly d 5 legislature COULD do the same, pro- = vided, the members are honest, anG ' not under corporate influence. Ii l the same rates which Phelps-Dodge F have forced from the Gila Valley
 road could be made on all lines Ari'
 zona would soon be the most pros f porous country on the face of Gods 2 green earth, and instead of having a } few struggling camps scattered over l the territory, we would have dozens 7 and dozens of towns rapidly growing 9 into cities, and Arizona wonld at once , take the proud position at the head , of all the states as a producer of cop r per, and she would not be far behind r in the output of gold, silver and agriculture. Instead of the farmers being compelled to haul their hay to town in wagons, they could load it into cars at the depot, at a rate t cheaper than they could afford tc ? haul it. Some railroads claim that r they have made Arizona what she is . but this is not true. Arizona is what she is in spite of the railroads. Had l the railroads given the territory . f square deal ten or fifteen years ago r the population of Arizona would be r many times more than what it is al 3 the present time.
 Tur territnr-inl hoard nf noi,,nl liz,