The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-25
What Others Say.
REAL RAILWAY REFORM

REAL RAILWAY REFORM.
The purposes for which the Public
Utilities Commissions were created
have never been made clearer than
by Gov. Hughes in his veto message
on the Bailey two -cents-fare bill.
Without investigating the railroad
business or making an inquiry into
the operation, traffic or capitalization
lof single line, the Legislature has
Itily laid down a general rule of
charges for all steam roads over $50
miles long. II claimed no expert
knowledge and summoned no expert
assistance. At the same time, this
lis precisely the work, in dealing with
the public-servlce corporations, for
which the commissions we're provided
by the Legislature. They were Gre
ated to examine with II mute care in
to the details of the railroad business
Tin city and State, and they were ere
in city and State, ami they were
clothed with powers to give effect to
their findings.
If two cents proves TO be just
and reasonable rate TO be charged by
Iany railroad or all railroads, the Com
Imissioners can fix that rate after
proper investigation. If 1t is not just
and reasonable, If 1t iH too high or
itOo low in certain Instances, the
Commissioners can regulate fares as
circumstances may require. Gov.
Hughes does not sag that two cents Is
too low; he does not deny that In
some cases it may be too high He
merely insists that the Legislature
laid no basis for its decision, and
that a uniform figure fixed at random
is an unsafe one from every stand
Ipoint, from that of tho passenger and
the employee as well as that of the
manager and investor. The Legis-
lature acted on impulse and without
adequate knowledge when It had al
ready furnished a more competent ag-
lency for the protection of the public
interests.
Gov. Hughess way of protecting the
public Is TO subject the corporations
to strict supervision, not to loose the
legislation. The railroads are entitled
to fair earnings. The courts will not
consent to cOniscation The public
is entitled to good service. The best
guarantee OF good service this state
has ever had is the Public Utilities
law, which the people owe to Gov.
Hughess labors.
In the history Of rate regulation in
this country there have been innum.
erable failures because of just such
crude measures as the Bailey bill en-
acted by the Legislature. Time and
again Western railroads have succeed
ed in having legislative railroads set
aside as a confscatory, and Legisa-
lures have had TO renew their exper-
iments or abandon them. II is by
painstaking study of facts and stats
tics through his Commissioners, not by
half-baked bills, born merely of
popular discomfort, that Gov. Hughes
proposes 10 achieve real and lasting
reform. Rates service. construction
and capitalization come within the
puryiew of his plan Of railroad leglsla-
tion High finance hereafter will
find its way blocked against initiating
stock Issues for speculation and then
pleading as justification that the cleo
trio and steam railroads will grow up
to their overcapitallzation. 1t wil
not be so easy a matter for railroad
managers to defend unreasonable
charges and bad service on the ground
that they are unable 10 pay dividends
on their watered securities.
Reforms that fail are almost certain