The log cabin Democrat., 1914-03-02
Conway, Arkansas, MONDAY, March 2, 1914
GAZETTE ENDORSES
 COMMISSION IDEA
TO RULE PUBLIC UTILITIES
BELIEVES, HOWEVER, COMMIS- SION SHOULD BE FURTHER REMOVED FROM POLITICS.

The states leading newspaper. the Arkansas Gazette, gives it's editorial endorsement to the plan of establish l Ing a commission to regulate public service corporations throughout the state. Commenting upon an editorial article appearing recently in the Log Cabin Democrat, the Gazette of Sun day says:
 The Conway Log Cabin Democrat agrees with the Gazette as to the de- sirability of having a more highly or ganized government in Arkansas, in view of the public utility questions that arise in this state and in it's com mlnties.
 Noting the telephone rate matter in Little Rock, the Log Cabin Demo- crat says this is merely another in stance of the need of a state public service commission to investigate such matters. The Log Cabin Democrat re- gently said that such a commission | could have settled the water matter in Little Rock and could have arbitrated the differences between the Conway Telephone Company and it's patrons when rates were raised last summer. Street car systems, waterworks, telephone, electric light, and gas sys- tems are generally monopolstic in crat says further, but for that very reason there should be check on the fixing of the price for service. The Loo Cabin Democrat adds that the consumer Is not the person to fix a fair rate and so there ought to be some tribunal before which both the public utility corporations and the consumer might be heard; and this | tribunal should be empowered to set tie any controversy not only as to rates but as to character of service, and to prevent any unfair discrimina- l ton.
 The Log Cabin Democrat concludes
 with the statement that it believes that with a small amount of additional | ciencal force the present Railroad 1 Commission could be converted into a public service commission and could 1 exercise the same supervision over public utilities in cities that it now exercises over railroads and express companies.
 We think Arkansas should go much farther than merely adding to the clerical force of the present Railroad Commission and converting it into a public service commission. The whole Iconception of this body should be changed. For one thing it should be as far removed from politics as the Interstate Commerce Commission.
 When the merchants and shippers of city organize a traffic bureau to look after their interests they put in charge of it a man of long experience in rate matters. They don't put the place up to be run for And when the place has been filled the incumbent, if he wants to keep his position, does not, before two short years of service have expired, have to begin making a political campaign. He devotes his whole time and attention to the work of his office and is not under the ne- cessity of giving time and attention to getting yates for reelection. And if
 it it is necessary for the shippers to pay a high salary to get the right man,
 man who knows the game as we'll as
 the railroad officials themselves know it, they pay the high salary.
 The more highly organized govern
 ment We need in Arkansas is one un-
 der which the more training and ex-
 perience an official had had the surer
 would he be of being retained in a
 position where training and experi-
 ence increased his usefulness. But
 before we can have more highly or
 ganized government we must have a
 more highly organized public opinion We shall have this more highly organ lized government when the public de-
 mands it. And the controversies that
 are continually arising between public
 utility corporations and communities
 will more and more draw public at
 tention to this matter"