Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1908-12-04
A RAILROAD COMMISSION.

The Pocatello Advance is out against
railroad commission. 1t cites the.
thriving town Of Gooding, Idaho, and
asks: "What would this town amount
to except for the Oregon Short Line
railroad?" The Advance is working on
the theory that railroad is everything.
Let US ask the Advances: "What would
the Oregon Short Line amount to if it
were not for the people and the great
natural resources which the railroad had
nothing to do with creating?" The
Oregon Short Line has made not one
tree to grow in Idaho; it treasured up
not an ounce of our precious metals, and
it had nothing to do with the creation
of the fertile soil. 1t has, just as the
railroads do, assisted in the develop
ment, and has had to depend on the
energy and perseverance of our citizen
ship to develop our state to the point
where it were possible for a railroad to
exist. The Oregon Short Line is not
entitled to the glory. Nor does it own
is only part. 1t is entitled to It's por-
tion OF the prosperity, but no more. 1t
is not working hardship on the rail-
road to compel it to act honestly with
the public, which it is not do
ing. 1t is not interfering with railroad
development and the building of new
lines to compel the railroads to pay
equal taxes and to give the people equal
and just freight rates. 1t is not working
hardship on the Oregon Short Line to
compel it to cease giving rebates to
favored shippers as it has been and is
doing, and it is not too much to compel
it to quitrobbing the people by excessive
freight and passenger rates, collected on
an exhorbitant watered capitalization.
The Oregon Short Line is not paying
fair tax, nor anything like fair one.
1t is robbing the state and the people.
courageous stand in behalf OF railroad
commission, and the state of Idaho does
need commission. And whether the
matter is or is not pleasing to the Poca-
tello Advance and Frank Plaisted, the
Oregon Short Line political lobbyist, the
people will, sooner or later, have an eff
fective railroad commission, with power
to determine the physical value Of rail-
roads. This done, the state will have
substantial basis upon which to assess
railroads, and upon which to oase just
freight and passenger rates. The News
puts this question up to the Pocatello
Advance: 'Where is the state, where
the people have once forced railroad
commission, that is willing to abandon
itY' In Wisconsin railroad commits
sion is saving the state and the people
something like one million dollars
per year. This tremendous sum is
saved by railroad commission with
power to determine the physical value
Of railroads, and to tax these corpora
tions equally. The experience of Texas
is equally gratifying, as is the experience
of other states. Washington has rail-
road commission, forced through the
legislature after years of opposition from
the railroads, and the state will not
abandon the idea. The people want
their commission strengthened The
Advance says that railroad commits
sion will put stop to the building OF
new roads. The Advance must certain
ly know this last statement is the biggest
kind of rot, and as evidence let the News
cite it to our sister state of Washington.
The railroad commission is only some
four years old, yet during the past four
years, and particularly the past two,
there never was so much railroad con-
struction. A railroad commission will
not stop MIR. Hartman from building
new lines into Idaho, if there is business
enough to pay.