Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-04
CALIFORNIA; SHAME


,4a raoders to the conclusion
!. 80 r,,,at 20 nrobably the most disgrace
q full chapter that the southern Pacinc
political machine has ever written in
: tba nolitical history Of our state,
On Yesterday, BY the expiration of
+ha ner,od of twelve months, the
southern Pacific company was relieved
frorn all danger OF prosecution for the
hundreds and probably thousands of
violations of the state law against the
granting Of secret rebates which were
discovered by Interstate Commerce
Commissioner Lane in a hearing held
by him in the city of San Francisco
on october and 5. 1907.
Our readers will recall that the
newspapers of the state on October 4,
1907, announced that in the course of
the investigation held by Commissioner
Lane 1t had been practically admitted
by the officials of the Southern Pacific
company that that company had been
granting rebates or special rates to a
list of Ala favored shippers in the city
OF San Francisco and it's vicinity.
Following this exposure The Herald
called attention to the fact that the
constitution of the state of California
contained self-executing provisions
forbidding the granting of rebates and
special rates and providing fully for
the punishment thereof. The Herald
also went to the trouble of submitting
the matter to several prominent attor-
neys of the city of Los Angeles, who
each In an opinion furnished this paper
sustained the view of the law as we
presented it. We also called attention
to the fact that under the laws Of the
state the lapse of twelve months fol-
lowing the commission of the offenses
of granting rebates or special rates
barred the prosecution of these Of
fenses.
The papers of the state took the
matter up, and as result of the agi-
tation of the matter by the public
press the board of railroad commits
stoners and the attorney general began
what appeared to be a tardy investiga-
ton of these charges. However, the
matter was delayed and continued
from time to time with the evident
intention of permitting the running of
the statute of limitations against the
offenses of the criminal corporation
which appeared to own the officials of
the state who were pretending to in
vestigate the matter.
Finally the state board of railroad
commissioners and attorney general
appear to nave dropped the matter
entirely, and nothing has been heard
of it for several months. Now nothing
further can be heard % It. for the stat
ute of limitations having run against
all the offenses unearthed by Mr.. Lane |
no further action can be taken for the !
punishment of this great criminal, and |
it has by the determined and persist
ent delays of the attorney general and |
the state board of railroad commits |
sioners been permitted to escape all re-
sponsibility for it's crimes against the
law.
The state of California has had a
great many disgraces put upon it by
the Southern Pacific company in the
manipulation by that company of its
politics and the control of it's public
officials. 1t is safe to say, however,
that nothing indicating quite so brazen
and determined defiance of public |
opinion and the law of the state by the |
Southern Pacific company and its sub
servient tools, the state officials !
charged with the enforcement of the |
law, has ever occurred in the great
state of California.
The Herald is compelled to believe
that some day these men will be held !
answerable for the shame which they
have imposed upon the state and it's
citizens, although the punishment
meted out to them will probably only
take the form of political oblivion.
Should a Democratic Legislature be
elected then we may expect the board
of railroad commissioners to be held to
some account for their utter defiance
of the laws of the state which they
are elected and sworn to enforce.
However, should a majority of the
members of the legislature nominated |
by the Southern Pacific machine for |
the Republican party be chosen by the |
people at the coming election then
nothing further can be done toward |
holding these faithless public officials
to account until the election of two |
years from now will afford an oppor-
tunity of retiring them in disgrace to
private life.
1t is unbelievable and incredible !
that the people will not take adYan-
tage of this opportunity when it pre-
sents itself. But that, after all, will |
afford small satisfaction to the honest |
people of the state who feel that they |
and their state have been outraged |
and disgraced by these men who were |
selected by their votes to enforce the |
law and into whose hands it's enforce |
ment was committed.
There should be some way of fasten- |
ing the brand of disgrace upon these |
men for their betrayal CT the trust re-
posed in them. The only way open at |
present is in the form of impeachment |
proceedings against them, which the
Democratic platform pledges the MEM
bers of the legislature nominated by |
that party to undertake, provided a
majority of them are returned to the |
legislature.
If society were organized as it should |
be, II the obligations and duties of |
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