The Senate Kills the Railroad Rate Bill, and the Party Loses Face

The Tacoma Ledger says that the senate is to be congratulated for slaughtering the Helm bill. It is difficult to understand wherein lies the cause for congratulation. The Republican state convention declared in favor of 'such legislation as will control and effectively carry out the constitutional requirements for the passage of laws regulating freights and fares.' Gov. McGraw in his message to the legislature spoke as follows upon the subject, and his remarks in this connection met with cordial approval at the hands of the people:

'Our railroad legislation has been tentative and trifling, owing to the prevalence of the idea that the adoption of any measure attacking transportation revenues might cause losses on operation and investment, which would injure the best interests of the state in discouraging the construction of new lines or the extension of existing ones... The legislature should amend and improve the present rate law so as to afford the public the utmost relief consistent with honesty and fair dealing, and make ample provision for its absolute enforcement. Complaint of evasion is now common and apparently justified.'

These views express exactly the position of the Republican party upon the question of railroad legislation. Under such circumstances there would seem to be little cause for congratulation from a Republican standpoint over the summary 'slaughter' of the Helm or Morgan bill. It may be true that the reductions provided for in the bill were excessive; it may be that some objectionable amendments were tacked on in the house by unwise extremists or actual opponents of the bill... All of these things may be admitted, and yet the action of the senate is not justified. There should certainly be sufficient constructive statesmanship in the party to have so modified and amended the bill as to have obviated these objections... As it is, however, the majority of the senate are responsible for defeating all legislation upon a question upon which the state convention of the Republican party, the governor of the state and an overwhelming majority of the Republicans in the lower house had declared themselves in no uncertain terms.