The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-23

3 regarded as one of the big ones of the
session. In The
No Railroad language of the
o.-. day, the railroad
~0'iIi'''Se'N''' commission bill
didn't have a look
liz" Il was defeated by a vote Of 81
20 > in the house. The bill provides for
/ a commission Of three to be appointed
I by the governor. The members We're
/ to receive a salary of $4,000 each year,
/ the secretary 1,S0O and the clerk $1,000.
| The powers of the board extended to
all matters relating to transportation
/ by rail. II had the authority to en-
/ force reasonable and adequate service,
! bad general supervision over schedules
/ and ClaSsificationS. Railroads were re
quired to keep open their schedules for
public inspection, TO make their
1 rates uniform and were prohibited from
/ discrimination in any way, either in
/ freight or passenger tariffs. Excursion
{ and reduced rate tickets were TO he
open to all. No public officer should
! be given free transportation. The
/ commission was given authority TO
order hearings and to examine wit
/ nesSes. When rates were found to be
J unreasonable, the board had the pow
/ or TO fix fair substitute. Appeal was
open to the district and supreme
! courts. Discrimination was made pun
/ isItabic by fines ranging from SO to
4 $4,000 Agents and officers found
/ guilty might be punished in the sum
4 Of so to 5000 Those who accepted
/ rebates were liable to fines of so 10
! 81 900, and the sufferer might recover
I damages I'm treble the sum of his loss.
I The attorney general and the county
! attorneys were designated as the pros
ecuting officers.
I The chief reason for the death o fthe
/ railroad commission bill is that the
! members deemed the legislation I'M
/ timely. 1t was the conCensus of opin-
ION, as brought out in the debates, that
I Utah needs more railroads and needs
/ them badly. There are vast regions
which are hopelessly remote from rail-
/ road transportation facilities NatUr-
ally, the representatives from these dis
tricts believe the creation of a railroad
| commission would be regarded by in
| tending investors as inimical legisla
| ton. with the consequent result that
their lines would not be extended i'm this
state. There was also grave doubt in
/ he minds of the house members as to
the efficacy of a railroad commission,
| the success Of the system in many
states that have such boards being
! questionable. At any rate. the bill died
a quick and therefore painless death.
| Proposed legislation in which in the
| entire state OF Utah was interested per-
haps to as great an extent as any
other, had for its
The Downfall object the CONSOLE
o,.J.: datiop of the Uni
OF OohSo'IodtiO"' versity of Utah
and the Utah Ag-
ricultural college This bill was made
the subject for record breaking debate.
. ON AT,pTav- March house mem
bers talked all day and half a night
on the measure, a senate bill by Mr..
Park. Under a rule giving each mem
Der half an hours time in which to
1 air his views, a conservative estimate
is that fully 10000 words of wisdom
poured forth. The case was rare where
| any member "let go" before his time
limit expired. and some of them were
not nearly through when the hand of
the clock reached his mile post. out
| Of those $4,000 words came the death of
the consolidation plan. Lacking a con-
| stitutional majority the bill failed by a
vote Of "A to 20.
The proposed merger was first sug-
gested i'm q house Till, No. 145. For
one reason and another the bill did
! not come to light and the senate bill
took its place. The main ground upon
which the advocates of consolidating
the two institutions was that economy,
resultant upon the elimination of du-
| plicate studies. apparatus, equipment
and cost of administration. The bill
carried a provision that the saving
thus affected should be devoted to the
establishment of high schools in every
county. which should include i'm their
| curriculum the study of scientific ag
rieulture. This feature appealed
| strongly to the country members and,
as a rule, they supported the CONSOLE
I dation scheme. The opponents of con-
sOlidation held that the passage of the
| bill meant the death of the Logan in
stitution as an agricultural college and
the Capitalization in Salt Lake City of
educational establishments, one of
which rightly belonged elsewhere. The
agricultural college. they said, had done
and is doing excellent work. and we'll
enough should be let alone. Charges of
| lobbying and perniciouS activity on the
/ part of teachers, professors and others
directly interested persons were so
thick that one could easily cut them
with a knife.
The methods employed by Speaker
Joseph to ACCOMPLISH the defeat of the
Galveston bills viii remain a blot upon
| the history of the
| Galveston Bills Seventh assembly.
Ar e,,o%h.,ad Those who permit
| nv ted themselves to
be whipped into
line by the speakers lash branded
themselves as subservient to the fed
| eral machine.
AT the beginning Speaker Joseph pro-
fessed friendship for the legislation
that meant amelioration for Salt Lakes
existing conditions. Mr.. Joseph voted
for the bills in caucus; that is the
testimony of those who were there.
Soon, however, he became the uncom-
promising enemy of the measures and
his antagonism found vent in arbit-
rary and improper methods to smother
them.
The people of Salt Lake City saw In
the Galveston bills a hope of relief
from the thraldon of political abuses
| which afflicf this CITY The great ma