Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1909-01-22
Public Utilities Commission.

have been urged to recommend the
creation of railroad commission and
have given the subject earnest and care
ful consideration. l do not feel at this
time that conditions warrant the State in
going to the great expense which will
necessarily be incurred by the passage of
such law. Neither do 1 believe that
any one public or quasi-public corpora
ton should be singled out in the provi-
sions of such bill when it comes to the
regulation of our public service corpora
tions.
There are tlirty-nine States i'll the
Union that now have railroad commits
sions but i'll studying the conditions /
find that not one of the thirty-nine has
made the substantial progress in the way
OF the development of their resources
that has been accomplished in Idaho dur
ing the past four years. In order to
maintain our leadership in State govern
ment and the development of our re-
sources it is well that we should make
proper supervision for all public service
corporations i'll order that no great abuses
may be permitted to develop to the in
jury of the public and the patrons. 44k5e
Our State has now developed to a point
where it has enough public service cor
poratlons to warrant the commonwealth
i'll assuming reasonable supervision over
all of them, and believe that this super
vision should extend to railroads, both
steam and electric, power and light COM
panles, gas companies, telephone COM
panies, express companies, sleeping car
companies, telegraph companies and wa
ter supply companies.
This is subject of profound impor-
tance and far reaching effect and as ii has
not been touched upon in the platform
of our party, feel that I should leave
the matter in your hands for that careful
thought and consideration which know
you will give to it, with the full assurance
that will cooperate with you in your
efforts to secure just and fair legislation
that will be of the greatest possible bene-
fit to the people of the whole State.
Open River to the Sea.
The National Rivers and Harbors Con-
grcss has done more to educate the people
to the Importance of river and harbor
improvement than all other agencies
combined, and since the people have be-
come awakened to the importance of the
great work that can be done by improv-
ing our harbors and opening our rivers
to navigation we may look for larger and
more frequent appropriations for river
improvement than we have had in the
past. Both National party platforms
have endorsed the work that has been
done by Congress along this line, and the
people in every section of the United
States have come to realize that water
transportation unquestionably assists
more in protecting the public from eX-
orbitant transportation charges than any
statute that could be enacted. These
waterways are the instrumentalities that
Providence has placed in. our hands for
the larger regulation of the rate question.
The time will come in Idaho when we
will be astounded, as we have been as
founded by the undreamed of develop
ment of our irrigation resources, at the
great progress that will have been made
in the way of water transportation. Many
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