The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-21
NO COMMISSION FOR UTAH.

The Salt Lake Real Estate Men s
Association, we are glad TO see, have
come squarely TO the support of The
Tribune S objection TO railroad com
mission for Utah at this time We arc
| glad of this, for it is unQuestionably
the correct position for Utah to take.
We arc aware TINT many States have
such commissions, but IT is certain that
| little advantage, on the whole, has
| been derived from them And il is true,
! further, that the added powers con
ferrcd by the new Congressional legisla-
| ton on the Interstate Commerce com.
mission will, from now on. make State
Railway commissions of less real ser
vice than ever, when they have been
of any service at all.
The functions of n State Railway
commission cannot extend beyond the
State lines, Its Office is TO enforce fair
rates and to prevent determinations,
local rebates, etc. Where a State has
sufficient internal commerce and trans
portation to make it worth its while to
keep up special body to enforce equal
and fair rates, the State commission
may yet have some shadow of excuse
for existence; that is for the State it.
self to decide But with the stringent
National statute against discrimna-
tlons. rebates, and inequalities. and the
ample powers conferred upon the Inter
state Commerce commission to enforce
the law, it would hardly seem worth
while for the railroads to undertake
risky, petty, and contemplate local
CRAFTS in their transportation which is
wholly within any State.
Utah is clearly moi State in which
II would pay or be desirable TO estab-
hsh commission to prevent discrim.
nations IN freights as between points
wholly with its borders. The great
bulk of the transportation here is inter
state transportation. But it was pre-
cisely TO prevent determinations in
such transportation that Inc new rail
way legislation of Congress was passed
With this State Railway commission
could have nothing to do. In fact.
such commission in Utah could really
be of so little service to the public Of
IL could be of any service at all) that
the State would lose in every way by
providing it,
Besides, we are in need Of more rail
roads. We have the old transconti. |
mental line, the Union Pacific and the |
Southern Pacific. We have the Oregon |
Short Line to the great mining regions |
of Montana and TO Portland We have |
the Rio Grande Western. We have the
San Pedro line to the south coast. The
Western Pacific is building, and is to |
be completed between San Francisco |
and this city within two years The
choice of routes which this city now !
offers. and which it soon will be able
to increase, is tremendous inducemeut
for the Chicago & Northwestern, the
Chicago, Milwaukee 6 ST. Paul. the
and the Rock Island. to ex-
tend their lines 10 this city. Such ex-
tension would give them a choice of
direct connections to the coast, from
which they at present can derive no
advantage, and would also give them
the advantage Of thousand miles
more Of freight and passenger haul on
their own tracks.
1t is clearly to our advantage to have
these roads come here. In order TO en-
this, we should show friendly
attitude, not a hostile spirit. Whatever
States which have their railway sys-
TENS all built can afford to do. Utah, |
which has so much to hope for in rail
way building, would be extremely un-
wise at this time to saddle itself with
r wholly unnecessary commission,
whose creation could not possibly be
looked upon as friendly act toward
and which could in fact do
no good TO the public in any way com
with the burdens and the
evils which it would be certain to in
1ict.