Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/151

 RUTHERFORD BIRCHARD HAYES 119 of railroads and telegraphs that many &quot;clear and palpable violations of law&quot; had been committed by railroad companies, Gov. Hayes asked, in his message of 1872, that a commission of five citizens be organized, with ample power to investigate the management of railroad companies, and to report the information acquired with a recommendation of such measures as they might deem expedient. He also, believing that &quot;publicity is a great cor rector of official abuses,&quot; recommended that it be made the duty of the governor, on satisfactory in formation that the public good required an in vestigation of the affairs of any public office or the conduct of any public officer, whether state or local, to appoint one or more citizens, who should have ample powers to make such investigation. Gov. Hayes s administration of the executive office of his state won general approval, without distinc tion of party. At the expiration of his term, when a senator of the United States was to be elected, and several Republican members of the legislature were disinclined to vote for John Sherman, who controlled a majority of the Republican votes, Gov. Hayes was approached with the assurance that he could be elected senator by the anti- Sherman Re publicans with the aid of the Democrats in the leg islature; but he positively declined. In July, 1872, Gov. Hayes was strongly urged by many Republicans in Cincinnati to accept a