Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-30
ExToRTIoNATE RATES

issue of Golfers Weekly a periodical
whose standing and reputation entitle
its utterances to careful consideration,
contains matter which should be sub
ject for serious thought to the people of
California:
From those whose spirit moves them
to hit railroad. but whose minds de-
mand a reasonable juxtaposition of
cause and effect Mr.. Harriman's South
ern Pacific invites attention. The COM
mon stock of that road, which had never
paid q dividend, was placed year ago,
under circumstances which yet rever-
berate, upon a per cent basis, to the
very great profit of Mr.. Hartman A
few weeks ago the dividend was raised
to per cent, and Mr.. Hartman, pee
sumably, was not absent when the
melon was cut. Consider now the
sources of those dividends. which are,
ultimately, the purses of every person
who ever eats a Riverside orange or
Santa Clara, prune. The Southern Pa
cific has, roughly, the highest freight
rate in the United States, LOLA cents
per ton per mile compared with an
average of .7S0 cent per ton per mile
for all the railroads in the United
States. Moreover, except in Mr.. Harri-
mans domain, freight rates in the
United States have steadily decreased
during the past ten years; Mr.. Harri-
man in that period has raised his.
Mounting freight rates and sudden divi-
dends go not well together. SPECIFIC
examples like this are the cause for
such sweeping and hysterical anti-rail-
road statutes as injure the innocent with
the guilty. Might it not be profitable
for Wall street itself to take hand in
singing out, its own black sheep?
mt 1f Vol in
vides for the election of railroad COM
mission by the people of this state, who,
by the terms of that instrument, ate
vested with certain powers and charged
with certain duties relating to the rates
for freight and passenger transporta-
ton to be charged by the railroads of
the state.
Among other provisions defining the
powers of this commission it is provided:
said commissioners shall have power,
and it shall be their duty, to establish
rates or charges for the transportation
of passengers and freight by railroads
or other transportation companies, and
publish the same from time to time
with such changes as they may make"
The constitution also, among other
duties of the commission, provides that
said commission shall report to the
governor annually their proceedings
and such other facts as may be deemed
important"
OF course if the state of California
had a railroad commission that commits
sion would see that its citizens were
not charged by the railroad company
which renders the larger portion of their
transportation service "the highest
freight rate in the United States" And
1t would also call the attention of the
governor, and through him of the pub
lie, to any disparity of rates unfavor-
able to the citizens of the state, IL such
existed.
However, inasmuch as the state of
California has no railroad commission,
but the place OF that body in the official
economy of the state is taken by three
officials who are actually, for all pur-
poses of administration, the railroad
commission of the Southern Pacific
company, no such relief from excessive
transportation charges, as was con-
templated by the people when they
adopted a constitution creating a rail-
road commission, is obtainable, and no
information as to the rates for trans
portation charged in the state can be
expected except such as may be OBJ
tanned from other and unofficial sources.
While it may be a subject of regret
that the state does not possess the con-
stitutional body which 1t was intended
that 1t should have for the protection of
its citizens against unjust and oppres-
sive transportation rates, grain OF
comfort at least may be obtained from
the thought that the Southern Pacific
company, and not the state, is respon-
sible for a board of railroad commits
sioners containing as one of its orna.
ments the self confessed former Bood.
ling Supervisor Wilson of San Fran.
cisco.
Some day when the people Of Califor'
mia come to understand, as the people
all over the United States are begin
ming to learn, that they are being ex
plotted and abused by public servic,
corporation whose offensive informed
ding with their state politics would
appear to have reached a point where i
is no longer tolerable they viii re-estab
iish the railroad commission provided
for by the constitution, and with tina
body exercising the constitutions
powers and duties conferred upon 1
the leading journals of the country cal
no longer call attention to the fact tina
the people of this state are, above al
others in this broad land. victimized an
abused by certain corporate powers.
The Herald expects from time to time
when occasion serves, to have some
thing more to say concerning the rate
which are being imposed upon the PEG
pie Of this state by the Southern Pacif
company and which are enabling tina
company to pile up earnings. in proper
tion to amount OF business transacted
without a parallel in the railroad ad
ministration Of the country.