The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-10-25
AMENDMENT WILL
ENCOURAGE RAIL-
ROAD BUILDING
COMMISSIONER WATSON SAYS
CHANGE IN CONSTITUTION
WOULD NOT INTERFERE.

9 amendment as proposed by the state
| legislature and to be voted upon No
vember S, will not cripple the authori-
ity of the state corporation commits
sion" said Commissioner A. p. Wat
son last night in his speech to a
| large crowd at the corner of Main and
| Washington streets. That measure
will without a doubt remove a great
| barrier from railroad construction
work in this state, 1t means more
railroad lines and its means these ad-
ditional lines without any sacrifice
whatever of the powers Of the state
and the people ought not to allow
their prejudice against the proposed
amendment submitted on the 18th of
last June to Interfere with their vot-
ing for this amendment.
Col. Watson was introduced to the
assembled crowd by Major Rumph,
who said the commissioner was a man
.
his convictions and had made a faith
full officer for the people of this state
and had twice been elected to this re-
sponsible place in the state govern
ment.
Col. Watson talked for one hour and
when he had finished the people were
not tired and would have patiently
listened another hour. A number OF
questions were asked him and he took
pains to answer them fully. The work
of the commission was traced from
its organization to date In Colonel
Watson's speech. He told how he mao
worked to regulate rates on railroads
and express trains and how he had
been hampered by the courts.
In his Introductory remarks the
commissioner said the railroads when
entering this country before statehood
had been required by the federal gov
ernment to promise the people of Ok
lahoma and Indian Territories the
same rates as the same roads gave
in the states from which they extend
ed their lines into these territories,
but instead of giving the same rates
they had taken from the people in
excessive rates as much as fifty-fVe
: million of dollars. The work of the
: commission had been to restore TO
the people the rates they were entitled
TO and at the same time be fair to the
railway companies.
In the rate hearing he told the story
of a man named Selig who Is with the
Katy Railway company. This man
Selig when placed on the stand told
the commissioners that the rates put
in force by them had caused his COM
; pany the loss of $4,000 in one year.
= When Selig made that statement the
commissioner said George Henshaw
- attorney for the commission, asked
him If he had made similar state
ment to the commission in Texas
Selig said he believed he had. Whel
asked If he had sworn that their losses
had been the same amount in Ark
ansas Selig answered he believed N
T had. When asked If he had made tn
j. same statement in Missouri and Il
Kansas. Selig said he had. The Kat
reaches these five states and accordln
To Selig the road had lost the sam
amount in every state in which the
-. operated the same year. Then Hei
shaw produced the report made b
Selig TO his company In which h
=. showed where the company had mad
r three million of dollars over and abov
all operating expenses. The railroa
man had a difficult time proving tina
his company had made losses In ever
state in which it operated yet upo
n the whole it had made a profit
three million dollars.
y The commissioner told OF IN
change in the coal rate, the lumoe
rate. the grain rate, etc, since stat'
hood. and told how much the savln
n +he people would amount to eac
wear on each commodity. He the
= told how the railroad companies ha
- appealed from their decisions and no
|. Joe McNeal, candidate for govern'
on the republican ticket had mad
bonds for the railroads in appea IN
| their cases and said he would sti
have been going on these bonds II u
| commission had not required MIN
| give a schedule of his property to d
| termine whether he was able to
| on all these bonds and then the repu
lican candidate declined to appear an
more as the official bondsman for II
| railway companies.