Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-31
SEEKS TO FOIST
TRICKY MEASURE
S. p. AND ALLIED INTERESTS
BACK STETS0N BILL
RAILROAD REGULATIONS PRE-.
scRIBED TO SUIT SUBJECT
CieVeriy Worded Sections of Proposed
Law Are Analysed and Exposed.
Defeat of Purpose
Probable
ESPECIAL to The Herald l

Especial 10 Inc Herald.
SACRAMENTO, Jan. 3O.-By the time
Senator Campbell, Senator Miller and
Senator Caminetti have finished their
work of Analysing the Stetson railroad
bill, so-called, but which is really the
railroads railroad bill, prepared in the
office OF that good friend of the rail-
road, Attorney General Webb, and pro-
NOTED further by Governor Gillet, the
monstrous scheme of the men who tried
to fo1st it upon the public as a measure
seriously intended to regulate" the
railroads will be manifest.
There are so many serious objections
TO the bill that even it's most violent
enemies will not undertake to enume-
rate them all in argument against its
passage.
They feel that when attention shall
have been directed to half a dozen Of
its big defects any one of which is
bound to prove fatal, the administra-
ton and the railroad will not have a
leg to stand on.
The defeat Of the bill is practically
assured, unless some trick shotfld be
turned at the last moment by the des-
perate railroad lobby which has estab-
hshed headquarters at the Capital
notel-something like kidnapping some
of the anti-railroad members just be-
fore roll call on the"passage of the bill.
ulOSl SSIIOuS OIL all the serious
objections to this measure is to be
found in section 81 of the act. which
provides that within thirty days after
its passage the railroad companies must
file complete schedules of all their rates
now in force and effect; that after
these schedules are filed the railroad
commission must adopt the same or
other rates and serve a copy upon the
companies affected.
t., Af1
action by the railroad commission be-
fore any rates are legally fixed; and if
the rates have not been legally fixed
there can be no punishment for rebat-
ing or for discrimination.
What 1t Would Do
The enactment of this bill into law
would leave California in precisely the
same position the state has been in for
years. The reason why rebating and
determinations have not been punished
in this state under the present laws is
because the railroad commission has re-
fused and neglected to establish rates,
as required by the constitutions point
brought out last winter by the Los An
geles Herald.
In his bill Senator Campbell has at
tempted to meet this condition by pro-
viding that the railroad companies shall
file full schedules of their rates, as is
provided in the Stetson bill, but with
this most important difference, that
upon the filing Of the rates they be-
come the established rates without any
action on the part Of the commission.
The commission is given full power, Of
course, to modify or change the rates
SO established at any time.
Another most serious objection to the
Stetson bill is that it provides for a
demurrage to be charged to shippers if
they hold cars OF the railroads more
than forty-eight hours, but it does not
impose any penalty on the railroad for
failure to furnish cars to the shipper
when needed.
The bill is very obscure and uncertain
also with regard TO what remedy any
injured party would have If he suffered
any damage by violation of any law
Of this state or any order Of the rail-
road commission. This would include
damage suits of every character.
AS the bill is now worded, it would
be necessary for a person who suffered
any damage or injury at the hands of
the railroad company to bring his suit
first before the commission; if the COM
mission saw fit to award him any dam
ages he would still be compelled to go
to the courts to recover the amount OF
damages fixed by the commission.
The Stetson bill absolutely fails to
give the commission any power to regu-
late the kind and character Of the ser
vice which railroad companies shall
furnish.
1t does not provide that the commits
sion shall have power to compel rail-
roads to put in switches and side tracks
where the volume of business demands
1t, which the Campbell bill does.
1t does not provide that no greater
rate shall be charged for shorter than
for a longer haul.
It gives no power to the commission
to forbid the watering of stock. In
many other details the bill is seriously
defective; and if it is to afford any
genuine relief to the shippers of Cali
fornia it must be amended to such an
extent as radically to alter it's chief
purposes.
The railroad lobby occupies plenty of
room at the Capitol hotel. 1t has
stenographers, two or three sharp at
torneys, messengers and all the par
fective work. Instead Of infesting the
corridors of the state capitol and the
senate and assembly chambers as of
yore, working openly, giving orders
even during the polling Of the senate
on important measures, it now works
in secret. Members of the legislature
who are believed to stand in" with the
lists headquarters daily, where they
may take orders or may not-that is
best left to the Imagination.
Nothing was known Of the action >of
the railroad lobbyists in opening spaci-
Gus headquarters, the employment Of a
big staff and the frequent visits Of GER
tain members Of the legislature to the
rooms for the purpose of holding con-
ferences with Burke or one of his lieu
tenants, until the Peoples lobby quietly
notified one or two newspaper men al
the capitol. There is some talk Of pub
fishing a complete list of the names OF
the members of the legislature who fire.
quent these rooms, with the hours and
minutes Of their arrival and departure
each day. This would create a pro-
found sensation-more of a sensation
in fact, than anything in the line OF
publicity for which the Peoples lobby
is responsible thus far
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PAR0LED CONVICT is
RARRAArR nraAIAr