Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-29

4
.Fnis-
,.sted re-
.nrfansacte6
.nnate:
aw days to an
f~t 1 shall pursue
tr 7 am very much In
olfybody else is, as tC
of relief are afforded by
.D.'%
.egy General Webb is the re-
of salary from the state. He
.rriedged under oath to see that the
srovisions of the constitution Of Cali
|fornia are enforced, SO far as he is able
to do so. and yet he declares that he is
every much In the dark, as everybody
else is, an to what avenues of relief are
afforded by our statutes.n
Attorney General Webb bubbles. He
lodges. He may be very much Gin the
dark" as to the possibilities in this
direction offered by the statutes, and
so may Everybody else" as he is
quoted as declaring. but II he is. the
admission does him scant credit. He
possibly may have been "in the dark"
until a few days ago, so far as knowl-
edge OF the plain constitutional pro-
vision is concerned. But as Mr. Webb
has had his attention directed to sec
tions 21 and % Of article IL Of the
organic law of California how does he
expect the people Of California to view
his calm admission that he is yet "in
the dark?
For the enlightenment of Attorney
General Webb. for the encouragement
of members of the state railroad COM
mission, two of whom have intimated
that they want to see the laws en-
forced, and for the illumination of the
minds of those private citizens, un-
learned in the law, who, like the dis
tinguished head of the legal depart
ment OF our state government, also may
reproduces those portions of the con-
stitutional provisions referred to which
have the most important and imme-
diate bearing on this hitherto much
beclouded subject;
Section 81. No discrimination In
charges or facilities for transporta-
tion shall be made by any railroad or
other transportation company between
places or persons, or in the facilities
for the transportation Of the same
classes tof freight or passengers within
this state, or coming from or going to
any other state. Persons and property
transported over any railroad, or by
any other transportation company or
Individual, shall be delivered at any
station, landing or port at charges not
exceeding the charges for the trans
portation Of persons and property of
the same class, in the same direction,
to any more distant station, port or
landing. Excursion and Communication
tickets may be issued at special rates.
"Sec. %. The state shall be divided
into three districts as nearly equal in
population as possible, in each of which
one railroad commissioner shall be
elected by the qualified electors thereof
at the regular gubernatorial elections,
whose salary shall be fixed by law and
whose term Of Office shall be four
years. commencing on the first Monday
after the first day Of January next
succeeding their election. Said commits
sioners shall be qualified electors OF
this state and Of the district from which
they are elected, and shall not be in
terested in any railroad corporation or
transportation company as stockholder,
creditor, agent, attorney or employe,
and the act Of majority of said COM
missioners shall be deemed the act OF
said commission. Said commits siOnera
shall have the power and 1T shall be
their duty to establish rates of charges
for the transportation of passengers
and freight by railroad or other trans
portation companies, and publish the
same from time to time, with such
changes as they may makes to examine
the books, records and papers of all
railroad and other transportation COM
panies, and for this purpose they shall
have power to issue subpoenas and all
other necessary process; to hear and
determine complaints against railroad
and other transportation companies, tc
send for persons and papers. to admin
lister oaths, take testimony and punish
for contempt of their orders and pro-
cesses in the same manner and to the
same extent as courts of record, and
enforce their decisions and correct
abuses through the medium OF the
courts. Said commissioners shall pre-