The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-03

Good Work Of Railroad Commission UNI
dcr ITS Increased Powers Frequency
Of Accidents Lessened and Greater
Safety Of Travel Assured.
ICommunIcated.l

Communicated
n Ii pretty wen known that At the
last session Of the legislature additional
powers were given the railroad commits.
sion, but 10 what extent such provision
has operated toward making travel By
Irah IN Vermont more safe, Or how TAR
the conyeniences Of sneh travel have
been made to conform to tho require
ments Of health and the reasonable speed
of journeying, the public has not hereto.
fore been informed. That such ii TIA
case II not due 10 any disposition of
the railroad commission TO withhold
from the public knowledge properly BEL
longing to il, but rather u The fact
that a great and important work has
been 50 quietly and so easily done that
public attention has not been called To
the matter III specific cases. Indeed. tho
powers of the commission have been
made so ample that railroads as rule
have needed the requests of the commits
sion rather than await its orders Had
the commission been obliged TO apply its
power as a court, and il is 4 court
under existing law, in the numerous
cases wherein its request has been suii-
Gent, the public would be fully aware
Of it's activities.
In Its relations TO the railroads the
travelling public Is most of all Interested
in the safety Of railroad travel. In the
not far distant past, the frequency oil
accidents upon one of Vermont's princi.
pal railroads became a matter OF caustic
comment il not one of actual anxiety and
alarm, While none of those accidents
reached the dimensions OF railway
horror" the most OF them approached
70 the very line where so-called lucky
accident" ends and an appalling destrHc-
tion OF human life begins This state Of
affairs will be remembered BY everybody
who had occasion I'd travel BY that rail
road line, and during the period, ii no Az
saster entailing a large death list re-.
suited, II certainly was not due to the
roads heaviest and best passenger trains
not frequently leaving the rails or that
the running service was at all times free
from careiessness inconsistent with the
safety Of travel
AT time Immediately following a
succession of accidents, " Was observed
that high officials bit the railroad here
referred to- accompanied BY the roads
most important legal advisers, descended
upon Montpelier from the directors car
of the road ard had 4 private conference
with the railroad commission at the lat
ter's room in the State House. 1t then
leaked out that the conference related
to The conditions that oecasioned such
frequent accidents and, although Just
what TRANSFERRED at the meeting has never
been made public, the infrequency of ac-
cidents since that time leads To very
definite conclusions. Had the commission
been made up Of weak men, no doubt
the dangerous neglect could have con-
tinued even in the existence Of the com
missions ample powers. But, apparent
III, the railroad knew with whom it had
t0 deal and wasted no time iii sitting
up and taking notice The apparent re-
suits have been al follows.
The railroad very soon settled d trou
blesome strike that had long existed
in its mechanical department, certain
changes were made IN responsible heads
Ill that department. and d better average
service in its telegraphic operating force
at many stations was ELECTED. The ne
suit Of these changes due 10 the nm
eqniyocal attitude of the commission has
been that trains have been run approx
nately near TO the time table and that
careiessness in the handling of trains
from every point OF responsibility has
been in large measure eliminated, with
the consequence that accidents an that
line have been I'll no menacing import
for the better part Of year. These
facts argue bat one thing and that is
that railroad travel In Vermont las be-
come safer, that there il d better protcc-
tion 81 life and limb guaranteed the
public, because Of an existing
before whose mandates the
railroads must bow.
Can the state afford any course that in
any way can weaken this force IL which
the powerful railroad corporations must
yield2 Should It BY any misunderstood
action place in The executive otieethe
office that holds the appointing power III
all The states commissions any man
for whose elevation the railroads are
now ciamoringg Should q policy that
guarantees, No far al foresight and res
ulation can guarantee, the safe return
Of loved ones to the home circle after
entrusting their lives To the railways, be
weakened in the slightest degree or for
a moment placed where there can be
chance for such weakeningf With the]
pitiable stanton in the goyernorship, him
for whom the railroad support Is now
east. with what strength would this pol /
icy be maintained in such extent as the
governors appontive power could reach
In an this q most vital question con
fronts the voters Of the state. Indeed,
there is none more vital. Shall the ct
feetiveness 81 present authority over the
railroads he maintained By the election
TO the governorship Of Iieutenant-Goy-
ernor George H. Prouty, whose attitude
upon the case is positive and uncompro.