The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-08
RAILWAY COMMISSION
BILL BEATEN IN IDAHO
Debate Was Fierce at Times and
Threatened to Result in Per-
sonal Encounters.
Baantyne, Author of the Bill Threatens to Swear Out War
rants for Certain Lobbyists

/ short About all he said was that COP.
| tam people had declared It would be an
/ InPosltion on the railroad companies to
| enact the measure into law
! Now" he added IF in is an i,,.,os,
/ uon on the railroad companies for b.a
people 10 assert their Just and lawful
! be such an imposition as has been a.
! sCTlDeu. we are here TO represent tho
whole people Of Idaho. not the commer
clal clubs or the associations of hard
/ ware dealers. 1t remains To he see,
whether YOU Will cast your vote for m
/ S0OOO people OF Idaho or whether Won
! road" -'''e al
Chairman Rossi's Speech.
| Rossi of shoshone county. chairman 80
/ the committee on railroads which report
/ ed adversely on the measure smoke me-
he attempted no flights OF oratory. con-
| lining himself strictly 10 presentation
OF facts in support Of his contention fhat
railroad commission would he dot-s
mental TO the best interests of the state
. We nave had q fun. free and impar
tiai hearing on this bill" said Mr.. Roses
| everybody that wanted to be heard has
oeen heard and feel that the author OF
me PHI Is entitled To credit for the show
ing he has made The law Suggested il
nOueled after the Wisconsin statute on
me same subject. There is no possible
pdFalel between Wisconsin and Idaho -
Al this point Mr.. Rossi presented corr,
pdratlVe statistics on the wealth non
uIatlon and railroad development of the
I
oehlno Wisconsin i'm all these respects.
continuing he said:
Commission of Little Use.
During the hearings before our com
nittee ana during the arguments before
the committee of the whole house 7 have
heard much said about railroad discrm-
ihatlOnS. out no business man nor mar,-
Der OF the legislature has presented am
SPECIFIC instances OF such determinations
G ~ Ia h per cent of AL the fratght traffic
commission would have control II is
perfectly clear TO me. therefore, that no
commission would have. or could be Civ
en-, sufficlent jurisdiction to warrant It's
existence 80
Mr. Rossi spoke Of the Washington
state railroad commission and said his
information from residents OF Washing
ton was that the commission was a fail
ure: That more reforms We're accom-
phshed oy individual citizens and COM
mercial organizations than the commits
sion had been able to accomplish. re
cited also the last message OF Governor
Pardee OF California in which he recon-
inended that the California commission
be abolished because it had proven det-
rlment rather than a help to the state.
Mccracken Clicked off.
At the close of RossFs talk Represen-
tative McCracken, one OF the supporters
OF the commission. attempted TO nut him
through cross-examination. Speaker
hunt interfered with this proceeding
however. and the debate went on Rem
resentative Stanford followed with a brief
talk against the measure. telling of a Wis
II TO W II bancroft vice president and
general manager Of the Short Line and
or Mr. BancrOft's courtesy I'm throwing
open the books Of the company relative
10 coal matters for inspection. Mr.. Stan
ford WAS sure more could be done bv in
dividuals than by commission that
would be involved with red tafa and
more quickly, too.
Favored a Commission, but
Representative Johnston of Bingham
county made IL clear that he was I'm favor
of a commission but he could not con-
scientiousy support the measure under
discussion because il did not conform
with what his ideas Of what a railroad
commission should be. After Jones of
Oneida had spokekn against the bill on
the ground that il was conceived in a
spirit altogether unfriendly TO the rail-
roads Representative Cavanah of Ada
made the first extended speech in support
of the bill.
Mr.. Cavanah said he had lived in Texas
and had personally observed the workings
OF the railroad commission down there
1t had not prevented the building OF more
railroads and worked to the good OF the
state II the railroad companies are dis
posed to be fair. the commission would
not injure them in any way.
What the People Expect.
They tell us there is no demand from
the people for the passage OF the commits
sion act continued Mr.. Cavanah. Il tell
you that the people are not expected 10
come and they don't expect themselves
10 come here and ask TO vote for good
measures. We are expected TO do that az
matter of course from the moment We
take our oath of office"
Continued on PAGE g.
SRREaa-