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Show H HAS A FAMILIAR SOUND. H J . The Standard, some time ago, dwelt on the similarity of the H warnings uttered in the past by the reactionaries against reforms Hl which, 8ince1hen enforced, are now recognized by everyone as in-i in-i dispensable to good government. H t Eastern writers have taken up this same line of comment and H we find m the last issue of the Review of Reviews a compilation of H the arguments made twenty-five years ago in opposition to the H measure providing for the establishment of the Interstate Commerce Hlh' Commission. ' C. E. Perkins, president of the Chicago.' Burlington & Quincv HI railroad, said : "To require absolute publicity of rates and that changes should H- not be made without public notice would be a great inconvenience' HI to the business community. H I am unable to perceive any reason whv railroads H should be required to make annual reports to the government anv HI more than any and all corporations' Hi From Jol,n Kor editor of the Philadelphia Record, came this HJ warning: "A commission would be dangerous. In the first place, it would HI bnng the railroad interests into politics. . It would give an almost Hll autQeratic power to a few men." Bt yeuator Stanford insisted that the law would have the effect of taking property without compensation, and so would be "confiscation." "confisca-tion." All these protests have n familiar sound. They have been repented re-pented in a thousand different forms against further railroad regulation, regu-lation, against the Pure Food Law, against meat inspection, against every piece of progressive legislation of the last dozen years. Today's standpatters hopefully refurbish them and fetch them out But they no longer alarm the people. They have been disproved dis-proved too often. Here in Utah whenever a more equitable basis of taxation is proposed, the defenders of the 'big interests" are out in interview to prove that were the railroads and other big corporations required to pay their .inst proportion of the laxes. the country would be ruined. ruin-ed. Somo day these false prophets will be driven into obscurity by an indignant people. |