The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-05-21
ENCOURAGE
RAILROAD
BUILDING
Article 9, Section 3, to Be Voted Up
on Again in Aug. Commissioner
Henshaw and Labor Fedora
tiOn President Speak


A fair sized audience greeted Geo
A Henshaw, member of the state cor
poration commission, and G. G. zeig
lar. president Of the State Federation
OF Labor who spoke at the city hall
Tuesday evening on the article 9,.sec-
tion 3 amendment Of the state consti-
tuition which Is 10 be submitted to the
voters az a special election to be held
August s. W. B. Anthony, ex-member
Of the Legislature and recently select
ed as a member Of the state capitol
commission. also spoke briefly in
favor of the amendment The speak
ers received a very attentive hearing
and, judging by the applause, their
views met with general favor The
meeting was presided over BY o. Cofi
man.
Mr. zeiglar came out strongly for
the amendment. tie said he was flat
~ opposed 10 the repeal Of the section
in question but as the proposed
amendment made it necessary to se-
cure the approval OF the corporation
commission before any railroad con-
solidation could be effected aud since
the amendment gave the legislature
the right TO impose additional condi-
tions. he felt that he could trust the
commission aud future legislatures to
safeguard TIE interests OF the public.
Il therefore endorse the amendment,
said he. "and ! believe organized la
Dor cga afford to support IT,"
Mr. Anthony who was called from
the audience spoke only few min
utes. but covered the subject in a
very succinct aud forcible manner AS
he Viewed it, under the existing law,
tha state was simply penalizing do
mestlc corporations FOR being strictly
Oklahoma concerns, and making It inn
possible for them 10 prosper. He
pointed ont that under the amend
ment the interests Of the people would
be protected and the way would be
opened for needed railroad eonstruc-
ton. including the extension OF the
Oklahoma Central
Nr Henshaw gave the commission
posiilen. speaking in substance as fol
lows.
TO fully understand the effect Of
the amendment il should be under
stood that NE nave in Oklahoma now
six systems, viz. the Rock Island
Frisco. Santa Fs. Katy, Iron Noun
tain, Kansas City Southern and in the
near future we believe the Orient viii
be considered a system roid. All O
the system roads are foreign corpor
atlons and parallel each other, ant
therefore can not consolidate and ear'
not affected BY the amendment to bl
voted on August 8. In fact they arr
prevented from consolidation by th'
federal antitrust act Hence we ma
dlmiss any consideration Of thes
roads from the discussion Then tn
roads that are directly affected b.
this amendment are the small road
in Oklahoma not exceeding l75 mile
in length.
eIt is true most OF these roads ar
nov making operating expenses an
interest on the Investment, yet the
haven't sufficient business that woul
warrant the installing Of first elias
equipment and the frequent operatio
Of trains that is great eonveniene
to the citizens living along the line q
compared with a road that operate
from three to four passenger train
each way daily and q sufficient nun
Der Of freight trains. Il is very ev
dent under existing conditions th'
none Of these small roads viii q
velop into a large system
zone important thing that should
considered with reference 10 the shi
pcrs that live along the lines Of d
smaller roads is that they are unah
to buy all the commodities they u
along the l'ne Of this road aud the
shipments must necessarily origina