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Show E" Bff UK TO raRTER! Attorney Takes Exceptions Excep-tions to Statements Made at Democratic Rallies. In a lener to X. T. Porter. E. Conway AshTon yesterday took exceptions to certain cer-tain statements alleged to have been made by Mr. Porter durins addresses a. Democratic rallies at Layton and Clearfield Clear-field Thursday night. Mr. Ash ton said in part: I did not, in the Poplar Grove speech, nor in any other speech, make any ailusion to the Bamberger offer of .'25.000 to the city of Boun-t Boun-t it ill. I refrained, not because I did not know the fact, but because I was not discussing Mr. Bamberger as a man. but merely his record in the matter of establishing rates which , then and now seem to be to be discriminatory dis-criminatory in character. I saw no comment from you in jus-i jus-i ti Meat ion of the difference in rate of 15 cents charged for the round trip from Salt 1ake to Cente.rville and 30 cents charged for the same ride when the ticket is purchased at Center-ville. Center-ville. Nor did I see any statement I credited to you in which you justified justi-fied the 10 cents additional charged for the round trip from Salt Lake to Bountiful it" the ticket is bought in Salt Lake. , It is only fair to Mr. Bamberger to i say that what he did in connection with the S2.5.OO0 offer could not in my opinion be construed as a bribe. It j was not so Intended by. Mr. Bamberger, Bamber-ger, but that such an offer was made, even you yourself admit. Taking your admission as the fact and without quibbling as to whether the $25,000 was offered by Mr. Bamberger for a franchise, or for the refusal by the city of a franchise to the l'tah Light & Traction company, the offer being made at a time when lie already enjoyed en-joyed a franchise through the city of Bountiful and at a moment when a competing line was seeking entrance to the city, even you will not deny that the offer was made for the purpose pur-pose of stifling competition. You say he was going to pay $25,000 I tor a franchise which was worth that ! much to his road. That is conceded, j but in what did the prospective value I consist for which lie was to pay so large a sum? It consisted clearly in J the right to operate, free from com-! com-! petition, a public utility. That lie ex- pected to get it back is further evl-j evl-j denced by ihe fact that Mr. Bamber-; Bamber-; ger requested franchises over the same streets over which the new survey sur-vey of the competing line had been run. A public utilities commission should ! be free from bias. Tn theory it is for ' the protection of the public against I discrimlna-.lon and unjust latets, which public service corporations, in some instances, impose upon people because they have the power to do so-Do so-Do the people of l'tah want a railroad rail-road owner and operator to safeguard their interests or do they want to trust a man of the people to look after their interests? |