The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-21
M. &M. ATTACKS
THE RAILROADS
Drastic Statement Issued in
Support of Proposed
Commission.
LIVELY FIGHT PROMISED
RAILROADS HELD RESPONSIBLE
FOR COAL SHORTAGE.
FIGHT PROMISED

The attitude taken by the Real Estate
! association of Salt Lake on the proposi-
ton advanced by the Manufacturers a.
1 Merchants association of the state to in
uoduce bill into the legislature this
winter providing for the creation Of a
state railroad commission is occasioning
| a great deal of discussion among b,tsinezsl
men of this city and throughout the stare I
4 mat the introduction of the proDOsed
Dill Will result in a bitter fight apainse
us passage in the legislature seems prac-
ucaily certain. Prominent real estate men
mere yesterday were emphatic in declar-
ing that every possible effort will be usetI
TO defeat the measure if it comes up.
Last night the officers of the Manu-
lecturers & Merchants association issued
statement setting forth their positioni
IN advocating railroad commission legis-
| lation. The statement was issued hv
Orvin Morris. secretary of the assOciatio1
! and c. o. Harris. who represented the as
ISOLATION at the meeting Of the real estate
board Wednesday at the Commercial club.
Republicans Turn 1t Down.
In the Republican state convention hero
last summer a plank was introduced intI
the partys platform intended to bind tho
republican Legislators to vote for a biu
providing for the regulation of railroads.
within the state by state officials this
regulating body to take the form of thei
by the Manufacturers & Merchants asso-i
| citation.
/ The plank was promptly thrown out OF
/ the Republican platform by a practically
| unanimous vote of the convention The
authorship Of the railroad commission
scheme is generally credited to James H..
Anderson
The statement of officers of the Man
ufacturer5 & Merchants association,
/ printed below, contains the surprising in
| formation that last summer the railroads
nf no tat rain
to grant storage rate of 90 cents ton =
to consumers, and that J. D. Sharp, n
former Salt Lake coal dealer, because he
granted storage rate of this amount 10
his customers, was eventually forced out
of business here by the railroads and
coal companies.
officers of the Manufacturers & Mer-
chants association follows:
Cites State Constitution.
why Utah should have a railroad COM
mission. This subject is one of the most
important confronting the citizens of this
state at the present time.
THE constitution of the state of Utah
provides as follows: Article xii section I:
All corporations doing business in this
state may. to such business. be regu-
lated. limited or restricted by laws
Article xii, section Il: All railroads
and other transportation companies are
declared to be common carriers and sub
ject to legislative control, and such COM
panies shall receive and transport each
others passengers and freight without
discrimination or unnecessary delay
Article xii, section 10: The legislature
shall pass laws establishing reasonable
rates of charges for the transportation OF
passengers and freight, for correcting
abuses and preventing determinations
and extOTtions in rates of freight and pas
senger tariff by the different railroads
and other common carriers in the state.
and shall enforce the laws by adequate
penalties.
The state legislature which is soon 10
meet in Salt Lake City, will be asked 10
enact such laws as will create a state
railroad commission. and to invest that
commission with power to take steps tot
correct the evils at which the constitution
of state aims
This association considers it it's duty.
in the interests of it's members and tho
public 90 thus call attention to the great
problem and the related subjects which
naturally grow out of IT. hoping to SO
arouse public thought as will result in
reaching some speedy remedy.
"PeopIe Must Awake"
1.-The railroads themselves, as well as,
other powerful interests. strong corporal
lions and well-meaning but misguided!
friends will perhaps answer the question
in the mega tive but what will you say2i
This association has no desire to wrestl
from the railroads in the state. or from
those knocking at our gates for admis-i
sion, the management OF their own al
fairs or property. but submit that the
people cannot longer afford to be not ONLY
passive, but silent. on the subject. whila
these colossal corpora tons not alone con-
tinue, but increase the wrongs Whlch We
feel so keerly today.
There is no question but that the rail-
roads have been very important factor
in the development of our state They
have helped us to become what we
and it is the plain duty of every citizen
to encourage their growth until everyi
city town and hamlet in the state Of
Utah is united together with bands or.
steel But in turn the railroads have de-.
rived and continue to derive their veryi
existence from the people. who have
eranted them franchises and other pow
ers which are so valuable and far-reach-
ing that even our very homes may be
taken for railroad purposes under that
old and respected unwritten law OF the
greatest good for the greatest number
and in return for all this the railroads
have obligated themselves to perform
well and faithfully. without discrimina
ton certain duties toward the public
These include good service, reasonable
rates and equitable treatment OF the pub
lie and i'm demanding this there is no in
tention or desire to work any hardship on
Long ago congress recognized that the
condition could be improved by
proper legislation. and we are all more
or less familiar with the results of this
legislation.
National Laws Not Enough.
THE national laws, however, only APP
Div Interstate traffic. and do not affect
the conditions within the states them
selves. The national laws ought to ba
sustained BY state laws. and thirty-one
states have already created railroad COM
missions.
''There are many important reasons
why Titan should have a railroad commits
SION few of which are here recited
''The present shortage of coal. together
with the exorbitant prices. is an Ous-
rage. and under present conditions where
is the remedy?
Each winter sees the same intolerabie
situation Under our very feet there are
coal deposits sufficient to supply the poo
pie of this state for a thousand years.
while the price exacted by the railroads
for its transportation to our doors IS eN-
cessive and beyond reasonable paliauon;
Another equally important phase OF
the coal situation is the effect that it has
i'm retarding and in many cases absolute-
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