The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-05-23
WORST GOVERNED
STATE IN UNION,
ASSERTS RIPLEY.
President of Santa Fe Says
California Leads All 9th
ers in Wrong Kind of
Legislation
WILSON is FAILURE.
MAGNATE DECLARES
New Order, in His Opinion,
Is Wrong Theory of
Government
Special Dispatch to The CAM


Especial Dispatch to The Call)
SANTA BARBARA. May 22.-E. p.
Ripley, president of the Santa Fe, SAYS
the people are no more capable of max
Ing their laws than their shoes: that
efforts to cure all evils by legislation
have resulted in a sorry mess of badly
digested laws, and that California has
the worst state government in the
union
He says also that the Wilson admin
istration is proving disappointment,
and that the action of congress so far
does not conform with President Will
sons promise that legitimate business
would not be hurt by the new adminis-
trative policy.
In consequence. big business is
marking time.
Mr.. Ripley left for Chicag go tonight.
He took pessimistic view of the state
of government, but was in better humor
as to business. saying that signs point
ed to a large crop. and that IL nothing
happened between now and harvest
time. there would be great volume OF
business. The crops were the founda-
tion of prosperity. he said.
WOODROW WILSON DIsAPPOINTs
The Wilson administration so far
has been disappointment to me-" Mr.
Ripley continued. II was a Wilson
man. but am far from being satisfied
with the results of the democratic ad-
ministration The appropriation. bill
passed by congress. with its clause
preventing sthe prosecution of farmers
and labor organizations for violations
of the antitrust law. is an outrage.
Two classes of people are permitted to
violate the law, and all others are to
be prosecuted. That is nothing less
than rank discrimination and does not
insure confidence in the administration.
''As to tariff reductions and the in
come tax, have no fault to find.
rather believe it will be well to give
them a good trial and find out what
they are worth The Investigations by
congress I regard as largely humbug
The investigation of wages. for in
stance. is not the governments busi-
ness. The government can not legislate
the difficulties between labor and capt.
tai. There must be a free agreement
between them, and no amount of legis-
lation can settle this question.
This nation has made a mistake in
recent years in attempting to cure every
evil by legislation. The result has been
a mass of badly dgested laws that are
useless if not injurious.
WRONG THEORY or GOVERNMENT
I'm this respect, California is the
worst of all, and positively has the
worst state government in the union.
Its referendum, initiative and reca ii re
the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on
a people. The one redeeming feature of
the new order is the public utilities act
and its operation through the railroad
commission Tire commission started in
on the theory that everything was
wrong with the railroads, but, after
studying the question, discovered that
things were not so bad, after all. The
commission comprises capable men, and
/ believe they are trying toabe fair.
The cry of let the people rule is
pretty, but the people are no more
capable OF making their own laws
than they are of making their own
shoes. The theory of direct legislation
is wrong. We are having SO MANY
elections that the thought of election
Is becoming nauseating. The original
of
was right. Then men elected to Office
represented the people and not the
mob or passing prejudice OF the day.
They gave legislation close considera-
tion and acted on their best Judgment.
"a remedy. | believe. would be a
more permanent legislative body, re-
duced in number by one third or one
half. Public Office should be made an
honorable office and one that would
appeal to competent men. 1t should
also carry with it a high enough sal
ary to allow the incumbent to devote
all his time to his public duties
Mr.. Ripley hesitatcd to express
himself on the California japanese
situation. saying he was hardly enough
informed
Il hardly believe, however, that the
Japanese are a menace to California
as land holders, he said. They do
furnish the state with class Of labor
that is absolutely needed. as white men
will not do the work Ny judgment
is that Californians are unduly ex-
cited over the matter,