Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1910-10-06
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.

are not IN favor Of the creation o
such a commission; and the Repubii
cans In their county platforms SHOULD
repudiate the state platform In thii
particular. The members OF this
state legislature are officers Of the
respective counties and they should
be pledged to legislation by the re
sDectiye counties Only where there
IL a general and well defined public
sentiment IN favor OF a particular
measure should that measure BID en-
dorsed in the state platform. The
people OF Ada county may think a
railroad commission advisable while
the people Of Bannock county may
think the same illadyised. The
members from Bannock county should
not be pledged by the people OF Ada
county nor by the State Central com
mittee. The State committees should
have left the railroad commission to
the people Of the counties. II
there be sufficient public sentiment
throughout the state that sentiment
can make Itself felt without any help
from the platform makers of the
State Central committee.
The Tribune is opposed to the Gre
alton OF a railroad commission at this
time. This commission can be crea-
ted at any time. There need be mol
haste. When Idaho has achieved
that development we all hope for;
when the state has sufficient railroad
facilities; then proper regulation will
become a question in this state. 1t
may be at that time that the crea-
ton Of a railroad commission will
best conserve the welfare of the
public. At the present time the ere
alton Of such a commission as is con-
tomplated by the platform could have
but one effect. viz: to retard and
discourage railroad building in the
state. Such work would certainly
be suspended pntil after the commits
sion was created and until after the
personnel OF the commission had
been determined After those things
had come to pass work might still
be indefinitely postponed Under the
that prevail now through
iut the country railroads will only
le built under the most favorable |
conditions, No company will come
where unfavorable legislation will
nave to be contended with in add
ion to the obstacles of nature,
The newspaper a few days ago con
aimed an announcement of the fact &
hat there would soon be a meeting
Il ans stockholders of the Oregon I
Short Line for the purpose of author !
6ing an increase in the capital stock !
u the company from s27,5Oo,OeO to
100 Goa, 900. If this increase be .
made Il means that $72, $4,000 will
e available for work of some kind '
r other. Practically all of the Ore I
on Short Line Is in Idaho and prac- I
lcally all of that seyenty-tvQ mil
.ons will be spent in this state. Do
he people now want to pass ad- y
orse railroad legislation? our judg- J
lent Ia that we had better let the
uort Line spend its money and v
hen proceed to regulate it. to a
ueen's taste IL needs be- The regu- Il
.tion can come at any session OF 0
he legislature.
Another thing that must be con- !,
,dered In matter of this kind, and H
hat Is that the creation OF the a
will not necessarily solve (,
Il our rate problems. The Interstate Z
ommerce Commission was created q
/ 1887 but has not accomplished by
long way the many things that '
ere expected OF It. In its hearings :
he railroads have Jared much better
lan the shippers or private persons. ii
has caused the railroads enormous Il
Npense, as well as the public. with Il
lt adequate returns. II cannot be n
Npected that state commission
IN accomplish more relatively than y
As the Interstate Commerce Com .
ission. II the railroad commission
,uld run the trains on schedule; a
ave all through trains stop at
towns without loss Of time; W
irnish us cheaper freight and pas
'nser transportation; and do many Il
her things then we would all be
favor of the creation OF such
'dy. Unfortunately, neither tho
aho legislature. nor body of its n,
cation can control the weather. fore u,
all floods. run fast trains that
m stop at every section house, nor IN
'mpel the railroads to furnish trans d
'rtation at less than cost, The pow e'
5 OF the Idaho legislature are not no
great as they should be. We
mot help these matters and we y
ubt that three non-partisan politi- e.