The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1908-02-13

struction and operating expenses
which could be most effectively made
by the railroad commission, would de-
termine to what reduction, If any, the
people are entitled. The same ques-'
ton has been recently acted on IN
some of our neighboring states; and
most of the railroads are now DIS
posed to meet it in a fair and con-
cilliatory spirit. With them there
will be no trouble To this, there are
few exceptions, one in particular,
which has most contemptuously re-
jected overtures from states, and has
uniformly sought to embarrass ana
discredit state officials, in all posi-
BILE ways.
Two Cent Rate.
To defeat such efforts and to Sc
cure speedy Investigation and de-
cision / recommend the enactment OF
law fixing two cents mile as the
maximum railroad fare between
points within this state, with a pro-
viso that the railroad commission
shall have the power, upon salts
factory proof, to increase this rate,
as to any railroad to figure that will
afford just compensation for service
rendered by it to teh public. Such
law will throw upon those who wish
an increase, the burden Of establish
ing the justice of such increases; and
will drive those railroads which have
been so swift to interpose endless In
junction litigation or some other re-
source. No wrong could be inflicted
as the railroad commission could be
made a court Of record from which
direct appeal, as preference cases,
could be made to our supreme court
of the United States. The rate would
not be iron clad, because the railroad
commission could regulate it accord
ing to teh receipts, expenditures and
cost of construction of the different
railroads. If deemed advisable, on ac-
count of present stringency Of money
matters, such law could be made to
made to take effect months hence.
Uresent depression is not limited to
railroads, nor due, in any appreciable
extent, however much the contrary
may be claimed to regulation of COM
mon carriers. Manipulation of rail-
roads in the interest of stock-gam-
bling, watering of stock, robbing of
stockholders through subsidiary cor
porations owned by a favored few,
and proven dishonesty of some of the
leaders of finance, have been the chief
causes Of the weakening of public con-
fidence and Of rsulting depression.
Blot It Out.
The fellow servant doctrine, relic
of harsh class legislation, intended to
be abrogated in our constitution.
should be entirely expunged from our
laws. Contributory negligence, almost
as cruel and unnecessary in its orig
inal form, should either be annulled,
or made a question Of fact and of
deduction of damages, determined by
jury. Physical injuries incident to
the operation of dangerous bust
ness should be betrayed by that bust
ness, and collected from its patrons,
as a part of its operating expenses.
Laws, throwing upon the charitable,
the burden of tohse MANNED or or
phaned by accidents attending dan
gerous employments, neither make the
employer nor the employed more care
full, but when not due to wilfullness
if made a dierct charge on the bust
ness, its managers would adopt the
most recent an dapproved safe appli-
ance and procedure.
Railroad employees who have spent
much of their lives in attaining pro-
ficiency, are sometimes discharged
without assigned or proveable cause;
and, by some method blacklisted from
all future railroad employment. No
man should be thus barred from his
chosen field Of labor. Legislation
should be enacted effectively prohib
iting such evil practice.
Allow No Drinking.
Safety Of the travelling public and
Of railroad employees would be mucA
increased by prohibiting, except in
cases Of illness, all drinking of intox-
icants on running trains. Frequent
trouble occurs in tarins coming from
places where liquor is obtaiable. To
avoid The necessity of taking employees
from. their work, to attend court as
witnesses, i. would be well to make
the carrying Of liquc- on the person,
while travelling on cars, a misdemean-
or. 1t would make the laws the more
effective and more easily enforce
able.
Something is needed to improve the
telephone service. The recent in
crease in rates has been followed by
a much roorr service. rnis cannot