The new age., 1907-02-16
EDITORIAL
RAILROAD COMMISSION.

road commission Dill mas DeeA
amended so that the commission will
be appointed by board consisting
of the governor, secretary of state
and state treasurer, until the election
in June 1908, when the members will
be elected. AS the state is over
whelmingly republican notwithstand-
ing the election of a democratic gov
ernor, this was no more than was to
be expected, and was reasonable on
the part of a republican legislature.
Mr.. Steel is an old political war
horse" and is certainly as capable OF
picking out good men for commits
sioners as Governor Chamberlain is.
There is nothing of the demagogue
about Mr.. Steel, and while he will
no doubt recommend only capable
men, he may be expected, we hope,
to use lis influence in behalf of men
who will act with circumspection,
reason and conservatism. 1t would
be a great calamity to Oregon to
have railroad commissioners just
now that would make war upon
the railroads, and attempt to regu-
late them so as to injure their busi-
ness, and SO antagonize and discour-
age them that they would give up
railroad building projects they have
in view. And this is very likely to
happen unless the commission is
composed of reasonable, conserva-
vative men, and acts with great mod
GRAFTON. That Mr.. Steel will seek to
have such men put on the commits
sion we believe and hope, and his
long experience and prominence in
politics and business life in Oregon
should be of much value to the state
in this important service.
Mr.. Benson is not so well known
and has not so wide an acquaintance
but it may be presumed that he toe
will favor a commission of moderate
minded and conservative men, who
will take their salary and look pleas
ant and do Oregon as little harm al
possible, and keep up an appearance
of doing something so as to ge
enough votes next year to elect then
to the same position-for as it is
nice, fat, easy job, of course the
will all want to hold on to it.
The New Age does not believe tha
the commission will do much if an
good, and only hopes that it may b
so constituted as to do as little har1
as possible. If the members an
their clerks and stenographers an
fiunkeys will only draw their salarie
and look pleasant, and ride about tn
state and otherwise let the railroad
pretty much alone, except to ure
some more cars and perhaps CORE,
a little freight schedule here an
there occasionally, the people ca
tolerate them for awhile, thoug
they will be rather an expensive lu
ury. But Mr.. Teal and the lumb'
trust and a few others were dete
mined to have a commission al
thought they could work a b
through that, through the governo
would give them the sort of col
mission they wanted; but the la
part of the program has been block,
by sensible republicans in the legi
lature. In two or at most four yea
1.-The people" will be crying to be r
of the commission good deal mo
than they really cried to get one.
it does nothing what use is it? A
if it does much of anything 1t. is lii
ly to injure Oregon ten times or
hundred times the amount of
cost
OF course it was run into politi
There was no escape from that.
the governor had been given the {
pointment, he would have used it
build up a Chamberlain machine.
he is ambitious to go to the Uni
States senate. 1t is not suppo'