The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-01-28
PUBLIC SERVICE
BOARD is NE. EDED
Should Take the Place of the
Proposed Railroad
Commission.
tBy Charles Brooks smith,

~ SiAaEtsH tSEOoksf smith,
CHARLESTON. Jan. -Nethine
mas ESCAPED the railroad committee
q the House to hart the. railroads,
ana i y to be hoped that nothing Of a
harmful L.tiai kind win get away from
those conservative gentlemen. But al
the same time, there is d hope mat
nothing real good and meritorious
VIII TAIL TO make get-a.way from
the pigeon hole. In, this ciass 4
great many really good people believe
that Nugent's railroad commission.
ought to be placed. The Nugent nm
is the Roach bill of the iast leg,s,a.
ture in the main. which failed 70
reach the governors approving HANDS
by some mishap two years ago. II Is
bidding for legislators, votes again
this year. backed up by pretty
strong and healthy public sentimenf
However 1T may be brushed aside hv
q bill to. establish a public service
commission, which is due to be alont
this legislative way in a few DAYS
A public service commission wouId
have not only railroad regulation IN
charge, but many other public sery-
ice corporations which should be
regulated by law. There is no strong.
er recommendation from the Govern.
or to the legislature than the one ht
makes recommending the establish.
mentS of a commission of this kind
Every railroad in the state is a mo,
nopoly7, says Governor Dawson
There is no competition among then
and intthe nature OF the case canno
be to most Of the people living upor
their lines. because these people have
no other railroad. The telegram
companies, the express companies
the telephone lines, and the compan.
les which furnish water and natura
gas and other means of lighting ant
heating our cities and towns. ar.
practically monopoiies, becaus,
there IS no competition. Monopolle,
are not abettors of the public wei.
fare, their invariable tendency is Il
Cypress and extort. A commission
with authority to regulate them. and
to give even justice between them AMI
thespeople, would" declares the GOV.
ernor. eliminate evil and unius
practices from which the public fire..
quently suffers at their hands" An(
this bit of gubernatorial opinion i.
spicy enough in its pointedness IL
bear repetition, since the rifles aionr
the picket line have begun to speal
and the cavalry horses are restles.
with the smoke of impending battle
In their nostrils. IF the people .ot
the state are to continue to suffer the
excess Of unrestrained and greedy
monopolies, to be subjected to the
control Of unregulated combination.
Of grasping and powerful corpora.
tons, in order to procure the deyel
opment of their resources. and as AZ
inducement to capital to come in and
stay in. 1t Is submitted that the cos
Is entirely too great, for they viii ge
little benefit from the exploitation q
their resources under such a state d
affairs, and the price is too great foi
the sacrifice Of manhood and liberty
The right to regulate these quasi-pub
lie corporations and companies is uu
doubted both from legal and a NOR
al point Of view, and the duty OF tn,
legislature to protect the public i
one Of the highest put upon a repre-
sentative body, and the duty Is urr
entity imperative"