The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-10-22

heart and honest cf purpose, and who
have returned TO their homes with
buried hopea and blasted ambitions,
lured to destruction and seduced by
false hopes and promises. covered
with shame and undone by the vile in
ncence OF the railroad lobby utterly
damned in the eyes Of honest men
and without hope cf the future.
say without fear of contradiction that
there never was time in the legis
lative history of oklahoma when an
effective railroad commission could
not have been created by law If the
railroad lobby had wanted such a law
passed. II was not passed because
Henry Asp did not want it passed;
because the Santa Fe railroad com
pauy did not want Il passed and be
cause they paid their general solic-
itor a handsome salary and allowed
him an unlimited expense account,
and great gobs OF passes to prevent
its pa sage And he is getting that
salary, and that expense account and
those passes today
But, they say, that Henry, in the
platform written by himself has de-
cllred I'm favor of railroad ccmmis-
ION. with all the power that is posi-
bic under the Federal Constitution.
am very sure. that if you let him
constyue the Federal Constitution for
YOU and then fix ap a railroad com
mission according TO that construc'
ton, you will have nice harmless play
! thing. that will be very satisfactory
to the railroad, and that will not dc
the people any real good, nor cure
any OF the harm the railroads are do
ing There are just two provisions
i'm the Federal Constitution that would
have any thing to do with the state
railroad commission One e. the pro
visirn that Congress shall have IN,
power 10 regulate commerce between
he states, and therefore a state
cclmlssion would have no power tS
regslate rate. between oklahoma an6
other states The other provision Il
that po person shall be deprived o
his property without due process o
law, and that private property shal
not be taken for public use withou
Just compensation The fair construC
tion OF that provision as applie'
g. the railroad question would b'
that the state conn ission could no
establish rates within the state 50 loy
as to amount to conhscation OF IN
railroad properties, and Il is probabl
that it Is in this connection that IN
! eminent counsel would like the priv
ilege of constituting the Federal Con
I tit1tion. For instance il the railroa
Z commission should establish rat
, on wheat from Newkirk &c Guthn,
? in the same proportion ~ he dis
4 lance hauled as the rate fion Kansa
Il. City 10 Galveston, yol would prol
ably hear loud voiced ratlr"ed u
y toney proclaim You are conhi
T eating our property; YOU art viola
e ing the Federal Con tituuon." o
! suppose the railroad commissio
e shoald establish a rate ON coal troI
d South McAlester 90 Guthrie on IN
1 same proportion for the distanc
4 hluled as the rate from South Nj
Il Alester to Kanas city YOU woul
soon hear a mighty noise that 20
were taking the railroad p,opert
without due process OF law woul
like 70 ask the honorable railroad car
didate from the 25th district just whs
kind OF a railroad commission he
an favor OFF, II he Is In favor I
any Does he favor the Kansas pla
where the only real power they hay