The Prescott daily news., 1909-03-26
RAIL MAYPf0BiA'S END

It must be obvious to any re- flecting mind that Judge McPher sons decision ill the Missouri rate cases is the beginning of the end of the inSenSate and hurtful legiS lation that has been enacted in many states in the past two years or more-legislation de- signated t. force enormous re- ductions in freight rates, already the lowest in the world. and to substitute a 2-cent passenger rate for a 3-cent rate, in the teeth of overwhelming proof adduced in court that not one of the great railway systems op- erating west of the Mississippi river was earning expenses on it's trans-Mississippi passenger bus mess at the 3-cent rate. Under the circumstances 1t was lneVltr- able that the courts would find the 2-cent rate confiscatOry and the wholesale reductions in
 freight tariffs unreasonable.
 As a consequence. the courts will undo the unconstitutional work of the Legislature and state railway commissions as fast as the cases are heard, and the only tangible results of all this frenzied legislation will be the tremendous, burden of eX- pense bills which the taxpayers will have to bear inc, ,uding not only the salaries and expenses of legislatures and commissions which have wasted their time, btu many thousands of dollars besides. forf other foolish and fruitless efforts in the same dir ection, as for example the S12O,- 900 which the Legislature Of Kansas wants to spend or the S25.OOO a, year which Governor Stubbs recommends. for a phy- sical valuation of the railroads in that state to be used as a basis foI" establishing railway rates. The Supreme Court of the United States has plainly intim- ated, if not actually declared, in Judge Brewers decision last year that physical valuation is not a controlling factor in determin- ing the fairness of a rate. but that a number Of other features of the subject must be taken in to consideration in reaching such conclusion As a matter of course it will throw out all such eases in which the physical val nation has been used according to the idea which is sought ito be enforced in Kansas, and the taxpayers will pay the costs as usual.
 Instead of this suicidal body of railwayphobia which if it could be enforced would lay prostrate the prosperity and paralyze the development of the West, it would seem high time for sane and sober thought to prevail, and for the progressive business mon of Missouri. Kansas and other sta ttS to get together as those Of Oklahoma have recently done, through a state federation Of commercial bodies to resist the disastrous leadership of ambit- ious. self-seeking. demagOgueS, whose only object is to secure fat political jobs and high of flee for themselves by play upon the prejudices of the minimizing masses against railroads and al great combinations of capital. By cooperating in this manner the business men Of Oklahoma Suc- ceeded in defeating the machine candidate for speaker of the leg lslature and electing a cOnServa- tive. broad-minded farmer who was pledged to appoint commit tees which would, encourage the building of railroads and the in- vestment of capital in many en- terpTises which the state sore ly needs to develop it's rich nat ural resources. A united effort should be made along this line by the enlightened business men of this Southwestern territory be- fore it is too late-before this region, by nature boundlessly rich and fertile, becomes known among men who have money to invest as the Bad Lands of com mercial and industrial enterprise This effort is particularly needed at this time from the fact which was pointeh out the other day by the New York Times in an able editorial, that our neighbOrs Canada and Mexico are pledging large sums for railway cOnstruc-