Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-02-25
THE ATTACKS ON THE STATE
SENATE AND THE TWO
CENT MILEAGE
BILL.

The attacks that are being made
upon the West Virginia state sen
ate and the insinuations regarding
the probity and honesty OF some OF
its members because the senate re-
fused 60 pass the fiat two-cent mile
for transportation on railroad lines.
but insists on exempting short line
roads is little less than scandalous.
These attacks emanate chiefly from
the Wheeling Intelligencer and its
President-Editor. Mr.. Geo. A. Lau-
ghlin. who took up his abode I'm
Charleston during the legislative ses-
sion for the purpose OF running the
legislature in particular and the Re
publican party and the state OF West
Virginia in general Other and
more respectable papers have fallen
into the same line and are echoing
probably unconsciously, these at
lacks which in some instances at
least. we are absolutely certain are
short OF SANDER
Mr.. Laughlin says the Republican
party promised the people to give
them law compelling the railroads
to transport the people for two cents
mile. We have nothing To do with
Republican promises or Republican
politics, but The Intelligencer and
Mr.. Laughlin promised it. and he
has undoubtedly mistaken himself
for the whole Republican party.
when. as it happens he is only a
wart on the end of its tail. We
recall very distinctly that Governor
Dawson, who is supposed to be some
pumpkins in the Republican party
was interested by Mr.. Laughlin'A
lntelligencer met and expressed him
self as opposed to limiting the change
for transportation, by law, to two
cents mile. He based his opposi-
ton on the fact that conditions I'm
this state were very different from
those in other states where the two
cent passenger rate prevailed. In
those states, he pointed out. the nom
ulatlon is very much more dense
the number Of passengers carried per
mile is from five to ten times greater
than in this state on an average
and besides that IL only costs from
three to five times as much to build
a railroad over the mountains OF
West Virginia as through the middle
west, but 1t costs almost twice as
much to maintain and operate the
trains. Consequently it was for these
reasons that the Governor referred
to the difference in this and other
states to which allusion had been
made.
However, that is not the point we
desire to discuss. The trunk lines
sell mileage books at two cents per
mile, which, it is argued with great
deal OF force, fixes the rate and it
does seem fair that they should give
the same rate to man able to buy
only one dollars worth OF transpor-
tation as to the man who can buv
twenty dollars worth But the
branch lines and the short line roads
are the ones the state senate sought
to protect when it provided that the
two cent rate should not apply to
lines less than fifty miles in length.
The statements in the newspapers re-
ferred to, viz: that the state senate
hooked in that provision in order
that the bill would be declared nm
constitutional, is to argue that every
member of the senate who voted for
1t Is scoundrel and periurer.
That we decline to believe. We han
pen to know a good many OF the
members Of the senate and some of
the members of the senate and
some of them we would trust
as far with our lank pocket book
and a great deal farther with our
reputation, than some of the men
VINO have inpeached their integrity