Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-22


and makes his presence felt wherever ne
goes. Not long ago, according to his own
relation, he visited the city of Washing
ton and rode out a good deal in automo-
biles. Being annoyed by the constant in
reference of traffic policemen, who rep
rimanded him for excessive speed. ne
went back to his hotel, got his gun out
Of his grip and informed the chauffeur
to turn things loose Fortunately for
the police force of the capital, no at
tempt was made to restrain his wild de-
sires.
Treats Corporations as Enemies.
Jack Love looks upon all corporations
as enemies of mankind and all rich men
as oppressors of the poor. and he was Sc
lected to tame such malefactOrs of great
wealth as invade the soil of Oklahoma"
At the first meeting of the corporation
commission he announced the policy or
the board to the railway managers who
were present in picturesque language, DIS
follows:
Boys, I'll send a man around to look
over your railroads and find out swhat
you are doing and what you are goou lot
then I'll call you boys together, wen
spread our blankets on the grass. put az
the cards down before us, and then III
tell you what you can do ana what you
can charge.
The constitution gives the commission
power over all railways and other trans
portation lines. One of the articles pro-
hibits foreign corporations from DONG
porate anew under the laws of Oklahoma.
Section nine prohibits one corporation
from buying or leasingNor operating the
property of another. ..
Another article denies railway COM
pany chartered outside of the state the
right Of eminent domain.
Amendments to the constitution re-
pealing these provisions have ALREADY
passed both houses OF the ieglslatule
upon the recommendation Of Gov. Cruce.
and under the referendum practice Will
be submitted to the people at speclal
election next month.
Passenger Rates on Railways.
Section thirty-seven provides that no
railway shall charge more than ? cents
d mile, provided. however, the corpora
ton commission shall have the power to
exempt any railroad from the operation
of this section upon satisfactory proof
that it cannot earn just compensation
for the services rendered by 1T to the
public if not permitted to charge more
than cents a mile for the transporta-
ton Of passengers within the state"
That leaves the rates OF fare entirely 10
the corporation commission, and 1t has
exercised it's judgment, making three-cent
and two-and-a- half-cent rates at will.
The trunk lines running through the state
went into the federal courts. obtained In
functions against the commission ana
have been charging three-cent rate eyer
since.
Section one hundred and thirty-four of
the constitution legalizes scalping, as fol-
lows:
ANY person having an established
place of business in any village, town or
city within this territory shall have the
right to buy, sell or exchange passage
tickets .or other evidence of right OF
r1Q RI
any railroad line or steamboat line and
their connections that said ticket may
have been regularly issued over and for
Amy person purchasing ticket from
the authorized Office Of any line for the
transportation Of passengers shall have
the right to sell his ticket or tickets to
any person doing business under this
act. Provided. that nothing in this act
shall be construed to prevent any lncor-
porated village, town or city to regulate
this business by any law that is deemed
necessary for the protection Of the pub
lic."
Capital Without Encouragement.
There are several other funny provisions
in the constitution and laws of Oklahoma
Of which these are samples, and they
have been administered by the cowboy
commission in such a way as to discour-
age the railway companies from extend
the state. Jack Love boasts that he, has
every corporation in the state "roped
and branded and he is learning them
how to do business"
The second member of the commission
is A. P. Watson, the potato king" He
is Georgian by birth, went into the
Confederate army at the age OF sixteen,
after the war moved to Mississippi, and
then to Oklahoma, where he has made
conspicuous success as farmer at
Shawnee and raises more and better po-
tatoes than any other man in the state.
The third commissioner was Col. Nc
Alister another typical frontiersman and
squaw man, who has lived among the
Indians all his life and who married an
Indian woman. He is a man of natural
shrewdness and has acquired consider
able wealth. He laid out the town of
he was elected lieutenant governor of
the state and was succeeded on the rail-
way commission by George A. Hem
shaw. formerly Of Illinois. Henshaw
had worked in the mines and taught
school. He graduated from the North
Indiana Law School in 1894. came to
Madill, Okla, in 1900 and served as as
sistant attorney general and as legal ad-
wiser to the corporation commission. Dur
ing the strike of 1897 he was the legal
adviser of the Miners Union. Henshaw is
highly thought of by every one. both for
his ability and integrity Although he
has anti-corporation and anti-capital
prejudices, he has clear sense OF JUS
tice. and may be depended upon to in
terpret and enforce the laws as he finds
them.
Decisions Frequently Reversed.
The decisions of the corporation COM |
mission have been reversed so often by |
the state and federal courts that its |