Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1907-04-10
BLAKElY TELLS WHY HE VOTED
 AS HE DID.
(Erom EEiday's Daily.)

Because he voted against the 4.ccnt faro bill, the railroad commission bill, and other railroad bills, during tho last Legislature, W. G. Blakcly, who was . member of the Upper House from Mohave county, has been kept busy answering the persistent "whys" of his constituents, until, grown weary of saying "bccnusc," he has issued tho following open letter, which he hopes will have the effect of silencing bis qucstioncrs:
 "Whereas, I received numerous peti. tions, letters and tclegrams from my friends in this county, while in the Council at Phoenix, urging me Co sup. port the 'act creating q Territorial railway commission,' and 10 use all my influence to favor antagonistic rail. road legislation; and, whereas, by pres of other duties, ] was unable to m. swcr many of these letters, and by such failure 1t has been assumed by some of my constituents that I was acting ad verse to their interests. and, whereas, desire to be set right in this matter, and Co retain, if possible, the good will of the friends who elected me, and | trusted me. and who have always been SO kind to me; therefore, l wish, l through the columns of your widely l circulated paper, to state briefly, in l answer to these correspondents, some | of the reasons that influenced my will and vote along these lines. may have erred in judgment but l am sure the friends who have known me for the | past ihirty-ivc years will believe me l when l say that I worked and voted upon all bills introduced in the Leg. l islaturc for what 1 believe and still be. licve to bc for the very best interests of the taxpayers of Mohavc county. And now for some of the reasons that influenced me; After thorough invcs
 tigation, I was fully convinced that
 the Congressional act, entitled 'The
 Interstate Commerce Act, as amended
 and its powers enlarged by the Hep
 burn net, which took effect August 2s
 1906, renders the Territory powerlcs'
 to deal with the subject of railroad
 traffic, and it is not only my opinion
 but the opinion of some of the ables'
 lawyers in the Territory. Congress
 having already legislatcd on this sub
 jcct, subsequent legislation by the Ter
 ritory is absolutely void. Besides, |
 careful examination of the 'Interstat'
 Commerce law including the Elkin
 and Hepburn nets, which have greatl,
 enlarged it's powers. form as complete
 n protection for the public ns the in
 gcnuity of able lawyers can devise, an' this protection is available to ever. man in Arizona, or elsewhere in th !, United States, and absolutely withou cost.
 "Thcrcforc, it surely would hay
 been unwisc and unjust to the taxray
 CTS for the Legislature of Arizona
 create q costly railroaj commission c
 to incur any expense in any unju'
 discrimination against raiironds, IT
 suitins in poor service and stagnatio ! in railroad building, divert capital II | to other channels, and to other state 2 and Territories. It would leave no II
 centive to railroads to make valuab ' improvements or induce capital to II vest in our Territory.
 "Therc are other matters of intere connected with tho Twcnty'fourth Lc l. islature that l would like to tell tl '- voters of Mohnve county, bu, as ! ha' U already exceeded the space allotted n
 by the obligipg editor, l must elo n for the present. With kind regards '' my good friends in old Mohavc count u I remain.
 IS "vcry respectfully yours, fl ..xuxf ~ N -