Bisbee daily review., 1911-04-20
HOPES ID
 PASS LEGISLATION
 FOR RAIL CONTROL

SPRINGFIELD. IL, April Is.-I Missouri has joined and iIlnois Ia on the verge of joining Wisconsin. New York, Massachusetts, Oregon and other states in the nationwide progressive movement to place pub lie service corporations under con trol and regulation of permanent commissions.
 The Illinois legislature is aI- most certain to pass Jne pending bill enIarging the powers of the state railroad and warehouse com mission, giving the commission the authority to fix and enforce rates ot common carriers and including ex- press companies in that classifica- ton.
 Even should the other bills placing all public utilities under the super vision of commission fail to pass principally because of opposition by the Chicago mayor and council friends of the movement insist thIi will be the entering wedge that will shortly place Illinois alongside her more progressive sister states.
 Recent public utterances of coI poration officials show the move ment is rapidly gaining headway not only in Illinois. but in other states. Unexpectedly influence has appeared in favor of commission con trol but by federal and not state commissions from George NJ. Key holds, president of the Continental and Commercial National bank O
 nlcago, Henry U. Nudge, president of the Rock Island lines and Theo- dore N. Vail, president of the Amer can Telephone and Telegraph com pany, who has unequivocally ap proved commission control, a view endorsed by Francis J. Heney, the San Francisco prosecutor, Stuyve sant Fish of New York, George Kin del, the freight rate reformer of Denver. President Benjamin Ide Wheeler of the University of Cal ifornia, and others.
 Missouri fell into line when GOV. ernor Hadley signed several bill giving the railroad commission fuller powers and authority to enforce its decisions eur common carriers, in cluding express companies.
 Newspapers Approve. The Illinois bill, which has no ap- parent opposition, eleyates the rail road commission in state matters tc the same pasition held by the inter state commerce commission in inter state matters. An appeal from it. decisions will lie to the circuit court of SangamoD county of which Spring field is the county seat and from there direct to the state supreme court.
 Commenting editorially on the. bil the Chicago Record Herald intimatei that a new era in the relations O the people and public service cor porations has arrived. It says:
 It is highly gratifying to know that the pending bill enlarging thu
 jurisdiction and authority or tn
 rttnoad commission and makinl
 the law under which it works com
 prehensive, modern and adequate been amended and perfected as th'
 result of a conference which repre-
 sented all the great interests t-L ,elnsd-Common carriers, ch.ppeli
 F, tailers, etc. Legislation by asIse mcllt, withou. fierce confiic oi self i.h interest. is eminently desirab' !, 'Lereve- t is ;:",. r:e.
 T Legislation by agreement pr' t suppose public spirit, enlightene b views, recognition of the inevitable A sound progressive measure hgni
 cred views, recognition of the II . eyltable. A sound progressive mea' [ ure for the proper control of c0r 3 ron carriers win indeed be 9 s,r.ksng tribute to the inteiIIgsnc 3 an breadth of our business con g r1unity.-
 [ The bill has the support of Go' - ernor Deneen, of the Chicago ass' 9 citation of commerce, the Ilino
 manufacturers association, ana otl
 CTS. That it is looked upon favo n ably by the carriers is shown b e the comments of John c. Drennal P tbe district attorney for the nlinof 8 Central railroad, who called 1t f good bD-"
 i- T think it is conceded that rel e ulation of carriers is here 10 stay e commented H. C. Barlow, traffic q E. doctor of the association of COT
 mere. and it is best handler by commission This bill follows the i d terstate commerce law and is D. the interest of uniformity and ha l. irony between all parties concerned 10 ---