The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1907-04-19
eminent by destroying local lawless-
Public Utilities.

. "One OF the subjects, local In It's ma
ture, is that or rates charged by public
utilities. In furtherance Of the princl-
pal of local self.government, | believe
that the municipalities OF the State
should have power to fix reasonable
rates to be charged by public service
corporations. The corporation Is a tx
ture In our modern life. 1t Is entitled
to fair treatment the same as individ.
uals; no more, and no less. But 1t
should be required to treat the people
fairly. With the enormous growth OF
public service corporations, controlling
m~onopolies, 1t has become necessary
for some governmental agency to regu-
late their charges in order to prevent
extortion from the public. This should
be done, not with a view of injuring
the corporations controlling such mo-
nopolies, but merely to secure justice
to the public.
Asks Racing Amendment.
Some time last year the Supreme
Court decided the act of the forty
third General Assembly did not apply
to bookmakers telephoning their bets
out of the State to be registered. This
ruling, as I pointed out to you at the
regular session, practically nullifes
the statute, as each bookmaker under
1t needs only to add a telephone to his
other paraphernalia running to East
st. Louis, ILL.,, or Kansas City, Kas., to
defeat the law. I recommend to you the
enactment Of a statute, making 1t a
felony to register a bet upon q horse
race, either on a blackboard or other
substance, or to telephone a bet On a
horserace to any other State to be reg
istered there, or to telegraph a bet for
such purpose, or to use any instrument
or device to accomplish the registra-
ton of bets. This statute was passed,
but the emergency clause was over
looked, so that it will not go into eff
feet until June IA of this year. Within
a few hours after the adjournment OF
the regular session the racetrack gam
blers announced that the racetracks
would be opened and gambling on
races permitted this spring. Their
preparations, to reap a crooked har-
vest were checked by the call for this
special session, which included this
subject.
The Saloon and the Law.
"The liquor traffic should be regulat-
ed by strict laws and those laws Wig
orously enforced. We need a law pro-
hibiting brewers and distlllers having
an interest in dramshops. The crimi-
nal saloons are often the brewery
owned saloons. Competition between
h.N,arin, oop,nolg tIapo fN fo1a n lOuy
class of men and set them up in bust
ness. These men have nj sense OF
proprietorship or pride in running a
decent place and these saloons often
become dens of vice and lawlessness.
Effective local option laws for coun-
ties, towns and cities should be enact.
ed.
The State Control Law.
"Why is it that the plea Of local
self-government was not set up against
the State regulating the mines, the
railroads, the insurance companies,
the banks, the dentists, the BARRIERS,
the bee hives? 1t is only when the sa.
looms and gambling interests are
sought to be brought within the law
that local self-government Is invoked,
At the regular session of this Assem-
bly, laws were enacted placing all the
banks of the State under the control
Of a banking commissioner; putting
the bee hives under the State Inspec'
tor Of Apiaries; placing the roads un'
der the supervision of the State High
way Engineer; providing for a State
Game Warden to enforce the laws to
protect the birds of the air and the
fish that swim in the water; providing
for State control for the weighing Of
grain in all public warehouses; max
ing food-stuffs subject to the inspec
t ton of the State Food Commissioner
} There was nothing heard about self
5 government when these were being
l considered. But when it is urged tha'
the State have some authority to en-
force its laws against the liquor in
terests the situation in the minds o
> some assumes a different aspect, ant
the cry of self-government is raised
r although real self-government is IL
} no way affected by the excise law.
: May Cite Other Matters.
These are the only subjects embrac
: ed In the call converting this session
During your deliberations occasion
may arise to submit other matters, blu
this will not be done unless I conside,
them Of such grave Importance as tt
demand attention at once, for I realize
! after your arduous labors OF the regu
: lar session It would be imposing f,
hardship on you to bring your atten
ton to other than measures Of vita
: consequence.