Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-04
Five Cent Fare Plank
I'm Democratic State
Platform ~IsApprOved

deed, the people of the state will b
fortunate If the present fare Is nc
increased as a result of litigatio
now pending between the Publ
Service Railway Company and tn
Utility board.
The present situation seems t
cal for an effort o solve the prob
lem from a new approach. We be
lieve in the fundamental and mora
] GROUND that a contract when ono
made should be kept; that tn
street railway companies, who's
existence and right to maintain
tracks in our streets arise out o
franchise contracts entered into d.
them and the municipalities of til
state should be made to keep til,
covenants of those contracts.
We therefore pledge ourselves t,
these things:
FIRST: To place upon the sta
tutes of this state a law which shall
provide that such franchise con
tracts shall not be subject to i'm,
pairment by legislative enactmen'
and shall be binding alike upon the
municipality and the other con.
tracing party.
SECOND: So that subsequent
legislatures may not change thi:
policy, when once adopted to incor-
porate such a provision in the or
ganic law of this state by means OF
a constitutional amendment.
We believe that such measures
are constitutionally sound. Their
result will be to restore the status
which existed prior to the judicial
decisions referred to and will estab-
lish a fare not in exces of the con-
tract rate, without protracted,
wearisome and expensive litigation,
which has proved such a burden to
the people of the state.
The remedy prescribed above
while confined in its application
here to street railway fares, is APP
plicable with equal force and effect
to all municipal contracts for SER
vice to be furnished by public util-
tiles, such as water, gas, electric
light and electric power. In many
such cases the water and other
utility companies are either receiv-
ing or e~ndeavoring to obtain rates
for water and other service in ex-
cess of those fixed by contracts en-
tered into many years ago. The
passage of the law and the amend
ment to the constitution in the re-
spects pledged here will protect
against the impairment of munich
pal contracts for service of any kind
The changes advocated here in
the statutes and the constitution
will not operate to deprive the Pub
lie Utility Commission of all of its
functions. There will still be left a
considerable field Of activity for
that board. With that in view and
as a step forward in the retention OF
state control owe utility regulation,
we advocate the passage of the Ba-
charach bill and condemn the Re-
publican congress for having delay
ed it's passage for seven months
undoubtedly at the behest of the
same interests which created the
condition in New Jersey requiring
the enactment of the law.
We likewise advocate the passage
of the Silzer bill by congress-. This
will dispense with the necessity OF
proceedings. will save the
and munipicaiities great ex-
pense, and will prevent the delays
are so expensive to the public.
Until the utility corporations can
be. made to respect their franchises
and be brought to charge no more
than a five cent fare or other con-
rate, it will be necessary for
the utilities commission to function.
The first and most important thing
Is that the commission shall be COM
posed of men of high character, men
to grasp the problem and
courageous enough to decide them
With the proper kind of a
commission, such as we now have
rules for valuation can cas-
ly be applied, and prompt and just
decision reached.
For the purpose of fixing rates
must be included only actual
and real values: and there must be
excluded allowances which are either
dishonest or fanciful.
/, The elements which enter into rate
have been defined by our
courts. To state them in legislation
would simply ~reiterate the judicial
declaration, and no real progress be
made. The legislative declaration, if
t omitted any of the elements de-
ju%dicially to be necessary,
would obviously be unconstitutional.
Therefore, the remedy proposed by
he Republican candidate for COVER
Tor is meaningless.
We condemn the Republican legis-
allure of 1922 for burying in commit
not less than three bills designed
extend the jurisdiction of the
commission to public utility hold
ng companies where such companies
lold more than a majority of the
took of the underlying companies.
VIZ cali attention to the fact that
present candidate of that party
governor utterly failed to help
the bills out of committee or to
ASS them.
Prohibition
We declare ourselves in favor OF
he just and honest enforcement of
he provisions of our constitution
nd Of our laws so long as they are
pom the statute books.
The Volstead act Is one designed
} carry out the provisions of the
amendment to the con-
This amendment prohi-
its the sale, etc., of Intoxicating
quors for beverage purposes.
The Volstead act, however, being
under pressure from ex-
itself violates the eigh-
zenith amendment. 1t provides that
ny liquor over one-half of one per-
emit, is intoxicating, when it Is COM
knowledge hat this is an n
nth. 1t deprives. u citizens of
lie right to use. intoxicating liquors /;
,r medicinal purposes, when there {
no such prohibition in the eigh-
,enth amendment. |
The Volstead act itself violates 8
lie fourth and fifth amendments to {
le constitution in permitting un-
.wful seizures and denying the I
ght of trial by jury; and in many
her particulars is contrary to the
rovisions of the eighteenth amend-