The new age., 1907-02-02
EDITORIAL
RAILROAD LEGISLATION.


control, fixing rates, and so on, ought
to be diluted and discounted a good
deal by the legislature. Some legisla-
tion is demanded and desired, and may
be in order, but it ought to be very
carefully drawn and well considered,
and not enacted out of any spirit of
hostility to the railroads, or else it will
be bound to do more harm than good.
The main cause of complaint as Mr.
Cotton says, has been the lack of cars,
and if it had not been for this there
would have been but little if any agi-
tation among the people for railroad
regulation. Possibly new trial de-
murrage law might prove good thing,
though it is pointed out that it might
greatly restrict shipments out of the
state If a law can be devised that
will induce or compel the railroads to
furnish more cars and locomotives,
sufficient to carry away lumber and
other products promptly, without over
balancing evil results, it would be a
good thing. But it is pretty certain
that after their experience of the past
year the railroads scarcely need any
law to induce them to do all they can
to supply the shortage in cars, for it
is certainly to their interest to handle
all the traffic possible, and being now
fully advised of the situation they can
be pretty safely depended upon to re-
lieve it as fast and as soon as pos
sible.
AS to the railroad commission, the
legislature will do we'll to consider the
question in all its phases and probable
consequences before being carried
away by popular clamor, which, after
all, is not nearly SO loud or general
as some newspapers make it out to be.
The history of railroad commissions in
this country is not such as to give
the legislature a favorable impression
of +boro Tr no,,,o cto+o. fo, n I;+tIo
time they have been beneficial, but as
rule they have been worse than
worthless as one was in Oregon. They
have been heavy expense and bur-
den upon the taxpayers, and have ac-
complished but little. Commissions in
states on both sides of us, in Califor-
MIA and Washington, are examples that
are warnings to the legislature. In
California the commission is motor
iously mere pretense, so far as doing
anything for the benefit of the people
is concerned. While in Washington,
the governor, under pressure, has had
to remove one Of the commissioners,
and the others are under fire for
squandering a great deal of money
with but little if any good results to
show for it,
1t is true that the Hartman rail-
road system has not built extensions
and branches and new lines into re-
sourceful and undeveloped sections of
the state as it was and is desirable
that it should, and the people have
some just cause Of complaint on that
score, but will anybody who is clam
oring for a regulative' commission
point out how it could force Mr.. Har-
riman to build more railroads in Ore
gon unless he chose to do so? Would
he not be less inclined to build exten-
sions and new roads with law en-
powering a commission to fix rates at
its own will and regulate the roads in
whatever way it chose than If he were
not thus handicapped?
Rates have been reduced a good deal
within the past few years and doubt.
less will be reduced more, and even
if too high in some instances it is far
more important to Oregon to have
more railroads and more equipment
for them and for those in existence
than to have reduced rates. The lum
bermen and farmers and orchardists
and manufacturers and merchants are