The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-06-06

Although the aJtenuduCe was Suldll-
er than anticipated, the commercial
club smoker Thursday night proved a
pleasant, encouraging and interesting
affair, and the discussing which pre-
coded the referendum vote in favor of
submitting the differences between
the railroads and their employees to
the interstate commerce commission
for investigation was instructive
In taking the chair James Mcmillan
said that the large growth in mem
bership of the club came at a time
when the organization was in a posi-
ton to do much to forward the inter-
ests of the city The club with a
smaller membership had recently Sc
cured the sugar factory and all
through the history of Twin Falls
every step toward the upbuilding Of
the city had either originated in the
club or had been pushed forward by
the organization. Greater things were
promised for the immediate future.
The sale of the Western Pacific has
been announced for June s., and ar
rangements have been made to tele=
graph the result to the commercial
club at once Whatever element among
the bidders might win, Secretary Nc
MILAN said that he regarded the
building of two lines to Nevada, one
by the Western Pacific and the other
by the Short Line as certain.
Relative to the National Chamber of
Commerce referendum on the PROPOSE
ton to have the interstate commerce
commission investigate pending diff
ferences between the railroads and
certain of their employees, f. L. Ste
phan opened the discussion by talk
in favor of the plan He pointed out
that the public had an interest of
peculiar character in the railroads on
account of their public character, and
that on this account in justice to the
roads, to their employees who consti-
tuted large per cent of the people of
the United States, and to the people at
large, a thorough investigation should
be made. The greater part of the vast
amount of railroad stock was in the
hands of men and women who were
not in the railroad business. Unless a
raise should be accompanied by in
creased rates. which would be paid by
the public, these people might suffer
great loss. And it might take years
to get permission to increase rates.
roads, to the confidence and esteem in
which they were held by all and the
amount of data bearing on the subject
at hand, the members of the commits
sion were the persons who should in
vestigate. Replying to a question in
regard to the ACCESSIBILITY of turning
over the management Of all commerce,
intra-state as we'll as interstate to the
| ,iCc IL ,af %
doubted whether such action could be
taken without an amendment to the
constitution.
that much of the agitation against
railroads and large corporations had
come about largely within the past 10
years as a result Of attacks by dema-
gogues, and that legislation had been
enacted by incompetents. There was
more and more evidence that great
corporations were not soulless, and
that their actions were governed by an
awakening conscience. More and more
they were providing for the needs of
their employees, adopting old age
PENSIONS and encouraging Y. NJ c. A.
activities. While there was evidence
of evil in some of their acts in the
past, the elimination of such evil
would be accomplished by a natural
process of evolution, without harass-
ing legislation.
The genersis and history of railroad
regulation was referred to briefly by
James d. Whelan, who said that the
first move toward regulation through
state commissions was made in the
early sos. Albert Stickney himself
a noted railroad president and man
ager had defended the socalled Gran
ger Laws" of that period even when
unscientific, on the ground that the
utter disregard for public interest
shown by men of his own class had
made it necessary for the people to at
tack these abuses in some way. This
legislation had aroused the railroad
men to the necessity of considering
the public in order to prevent loss to
their roads. A sample of the feeling
of the people of the middle west in re-
gard to the actions of railroad man.
ayers at that time was the passage by
unanimous vote of the Kansas legis-
lature of 1881 of resolution asking
construction of a government road to
the Atlantic. In 1889 the interstate
commerce commission was created on
account of the existance of the abuses
of which Stickney complained Since
the railroads were in a measure pub
lie corporations, the railroad officials
were to the same degree public off
Gals, and should be checked up the
same as other public officials. They
did not always act for the public inter
est and sometimes were too short
sighted to work for their own per-
manent interests. The express COM
panies might be instanced in this con-
nection Had they reduced their rates
of their own volition they would not
only have prevented the establishment
of the parcel post, but would have
made more money in the long run.
Mr.. Stephan again called attention
to the fact that the question before the
house was whether an investigation
should be conducted by the interstate
commerce commission or by some 9TH
or hodv for the purpOse of getting at