Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 87, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1913 — Looks Like New Utilities Commission is Not for People. [ARTICLE]

Looks Like New Utilities Commission is Not for People.

The utilities commission has been appointed. While Governor Ralton made the appointments it is understood that most of the commission has the Taggart brand and that it is not a commission that the people can count much upon. The Indianapolis News shows that at least two of the members are unquestionably for the corporations and against the interests of the common people, those who pay the freight. The News relates that when the utilities bill was being considered and the corporations were protesting against its provisions that Taggart was able to silence them and the cause for it was unknown, since the measure that was enacted into law was not favorable to the great railroad and electric line systems, but now the reasop has developed, and a commission has been appointed that is apt to consult the corporations very largely in determining its action. Taggart has thus far kept himself solid with the interests, while he caused it to appear by his lobbying for the bill that he had turned progressive and was for the people. He has evidently given the people of the state the biggest double cross they ever had. He has worked for a good law and then had appointed a commission that will see that the law is not enforced. From this section of the state is Charles J. Murphy, of Brookston, who is a close personal friend of the Murdocks, of Lafayette, large corporation owners and who started a bitter fight against the utilities measure. This same Murphy was in the legislature in 1901 when the Joss measure passed and he was its chief booster. The bill was distinctly a railroad bill and provided among other .iniquitous things that suits against railroads could not be tried in local courts, but were all to be tried in federal courts. Governor Durbin vetoed the bill. Murphy later introduced a substitute measure and tried to keep it quiet, asking the clerk of the house not to let the newspapers get hold of it. The News reprints a cartoon used at that time which has as a heading: “Mr. Murphy has a railroad bill but don’t want the people to know it.” This is the same Murphy whom Editor Babcock accused of offering to buy delegates at the senatorial and representative convention at Monon last summer. He is the same Murphy who dominated the 10th district convention and forced the nomination of cor poratlon lawyer John B. Peterson, who was denounced on the floor of the convention by prominent democrats. Thomas Duncan, another member of the commission, is an attorney for the Southern railway, which gave the state railway commission more trouble than any other road in Indiana. Duncan will doubtless 'continue from the inside to look out fdr that railroad, while drawing a fat salary to look out for the Interests of the people. The balance of the commission, with the exception of one member carries over from the state railway commission, whose duties are merged into the new utilities commission.