The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1909-06-17
MISSOURI POINTERS.
Timely Comment on the Course of State Affairs

purposely misstated and confusion has
| been created in the public mind.
Listen! and don't be misled by
statements to the contraryl
Governor Hadley's contention about
railroad rates when he was attorney
genera was that the rates fixed by the
Legislature should be enforced AS
attorney general he tried to enforce
them. The railroad companies applied
TO federal court for an injunction re-
straining him and restraining his sue
cessor from further efforts to enforce
those rates, on the plea that they were
too low, and therefore would result,
practically, in confscation OF railroad
property. The injunction was granted.
The state took an appeal to the Su-
preme Court OF the United States, and
until that court has passed upon the
case the railroad companies will claim
that the old law fixing railroad rates
is operative, and they will charge three
cents a mile, unless hindered by COM
petition OF by some agreement with
representatives of the state.
After the injunction had been is
sued by the Federal Court the railroad
companies entered into a combination,
fixed rates to be charged within the
state and set day on which the rates
agreed upon would be established.
Governor Hadley procured an injunc-
ton from the Circuit Court of St. Louis
restraining the railroad companies from
carrying out that conspiracy it was
conspiracy; or, in common terms, an
unlawful combination. The result
was that the rate agreed upon for pas
sengers,- three cents a mile-was
abandoned and the two-cent rate was
continued in force by all but two or
three Of the roads which had entered
into the combination. Thus matters
stood, practically, till the State Su-
preme Court, at the instance of the
railroad companies, granted writ sus
pending the Injunction of the St. Louis
court
AS soon as Governor Hadley had
been compelled by the Federal Court
to cease efforts to enforce the two-cent
rate ne announced that he would Go
all in his power to prevent railroads
operating in this state from discrim-
mating against Missouri people by
charging higher rate for travel in
Missouri than they charge for travel
under similar conditions in Other states
in which they operate. That IS his
position and purpose now concerning
the railroads. What he has done and
whatever he may do must lie looked
upon in the light Of that just and rea-
sonable position and purpose.
THE HOME RULE MATTER.
In their platform the Republicans Of
Missouri called attention of the peo-
pie to the abandonment of the prin-
ciple of local self-government by sle
Democrats of the state and re-affrmed
! previous Republican declarations in
favor of the principle of home rule
The Republicans of the Legislature
passed and turned over to the Demo
Gratis of the Senate well drawn and
strong bills providing for local con-
troll of police and excise matters by
the people of the larger cities, resev-
ing to the governor only the power to
remove officials in charge OF such mat
tiers for failure to enforce the laws oi
the state. The Democratic Senate
killed those bills because they did not
give exclusive authority to city mayors
to remove such officials. Such exclu-
sive authority lodged in the hands o.
the mayors would have deprived the
state of power to compel the enforce
ment of its own laws in the larger
municipalities.
l For more than thirty years the
Democrats have held that police and
excise authority in the cities should
be in the hands of the governor, and
they have always opposed efforts te
limit or divide that authority. Never
until the Republicans profeIed to the