Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-05


more absolute and fun power upon a
commission to accomplish the purposes
for which it was constituted than the
law above quoted confers upon the rail-
road commission of the state Of Cali
fornia to carry out the purposes of It's
creation.
Incidentally it may be remarked that
the Legislature has provided for salaries
of $4,000 per annum each for these COM
missioners. Twice since the publication
by the papers of the Associated Press
dispatch above quoted the state board
of railroad commissioners have con-
vened in session in the city of San
Francisco, have taken necessary action
enabling them to draw their monthly
salaries and have adjourned.
So far as the citizens of the state
have been informed no effective action
has been taken for the purpose of either
Investigating or correcting the abuses
which the shippers of the state are
shown by the above quoted dispatch to
be suffering from the hands of tho
Southern Pacific company,
How it is possible for men to main
tain their self respect and draw pay
from their state for services which they
are not only neglecting but absolutely
refusing to perform 1t is difficult for a
man inspired by the ordinary principles
of honesty to understand. The men
composing the state board Of railroad
commissioners have been selected by
their fellow citizens for the purpose OF
performing certain duties prescribed by
the organic law of the state. Payment
for these duties has been provided by
law, and is regularly drawn by the
members of the commission from the
state treasury
Ample evidence is contained in the
above quoted dispatch that there exists
in the state of California in the most
fragrant form the very abuses which
the sections OF the constitution ofestiass s
the state board of railroad commission
ers say shall not exist, and for the cor
rection and prevention of which that
very law was established.
These abuses are misdemeanors, crir-
final responsibility for which is barred
by the lapse of one year. At least one
sixth of the legal responsibility Of the
Southern Pacific company for the
abuses uncovered by the examination
before Interstate Commerce Commits
sioner Lane has been relieved by the
lapse of time since these abuses became
public, and the supineness and criminal
neglect of the members of the board of
railroad commissioners of the state of
California are responsible for this.
With the tremendous inquisitorial
powers conferred on this board by Sec
ton % of the constitution above quoted,
powers which can be invoked to force
the railroad companies to produce every
scrap of record which their offices con-
tain, and which may be made operative
by the severest penalties for contempt
for refusing to obey it's orders, and with
the lead already furnished them by the
Associated Press dispatch above quoted
1t should have been possible for the
state board of railroad commissioners,
within a period of two days after the
completely exposed the criminal actions
of the Southern Pacific against the
great body of shippers of the state OF
California, and within week the grand
Jury of the city and county OF San
Francisco should have been returning
indictments against that company upon
information furnished it by the state
board of railroad commissioners. Yet
nothing has been done by this board
no action of any kind worthy OF tho
name has been taken, and the lapse OF
time is surely and swiftly relieving
great criminal Of its responsibilities
under the law.
How do the people of the state OF
California regard such action upon the
part of their paid servants? Was ever
| a more brazen contempt OF law,
contempt of official obligation, con-
Tempt of honesty and decency, con-
tempt of every principle of action
which should govern honest men,
either in or out of Office, exhibited
than has been and Is now exhibited
to the people of the state OF California
by their chosen servants, the members
of the board of railroad commissioners
Of this state? was ever so ,pitiful and
contemptible confession Of sinister and
wicked control of public officials by
criminal power exhibited as has been
shown to the people of the state of Cal
ifornia by the action, or rather non
action, of their railroad commissioners
during the two months just elapsed?
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