Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-09-29
RAILRoAps AND rae PEOPLE.
An Excellent Address by President M. K
Ingalls,, OF tho Big Four, on Their Rsia-
NInnn. thu One In fln Other.

On the occasion of the recent OPEN
ing of the new and magnificent
teraninal station of the Missouri Pa
cific g. Iron Mount in, the Wabash,
the Louisville Sc Nashville, the Balti-
more &c Ohio Southwestern and the
Big Four at st. Louis, begun five years
ago, President M. E. Ingalls,, of the
Big Four, delivered an address on the
Necessity for Better Feeling Between
the Railways and the People" After
reviewing briefly the history of the eff
fort which had had its fruition in, as
he declared, "the best, the most artis.
tic, the most commodious of any rail-
way station in the world" and con-
graduating the people of st. Louis on
its completion, President Ingalls,
paid Just tribute to DIR.
Taussig, president of the Terminal
| association, to whose efforts
| large part of the success of the new
| structure is due. He then referred to
the phenomenal growth of the rail-
| roads in this country during the past
| sixty years, and claimed the unparal-
| ieled development and prosperity OF
this country during that time was it's
direct result and that it's future de.
| pended upon the success of it's trans
| portation facilities. "That the rail-
ways should prosper" he said, lis to
the interest of every man, woman and
child in this great country of ours, no
matter what his calling or business.
| To attain this success there must be
better feeling between the railways
and the people, between the railways
and their employees"
| Referring to the recent strike as
''the greatest, the most causeless and
the most unsuccessfuI' in the history
of strikes and questioning what con-
ditions made it possible that "a few
worthless demagogues" could induce
such a large number of railway en-
ploycs to neglect their interest and
forget the loyalty due the companies,
the speaker asked what was the cause
of the great dissatisfaction AS man
ayers IL behooves them to consider the
question carefully and endeavor to
find a solution, for somewhere there
was an answer. The great strike was
not without it's lessons, one of which
| was that mo strike can succeed which
has no real ground of grievance and
which public opinion does not sup
port Continuing, President Ingalls,
said:
But out OF 1t the wise men should seek for
| the cause of the evil and its cure. II the sys-
tenn OF proit-sharing among employees could
| be adopted, have always believed that it
would he n cure for these evils; but before this
can be successfully adopted we must secure
the profits. We ought also to establish
system OF pensions for those dlsa-
bled in the service, and for annuties
for those who have been worn out serving
their corporations. There must also be
better feeling built up between the railways
and the communities they serve. The situation
is much improved now and it is not as fashion
able as it used to be for newspapers and public
bodies to abuse railways and their manage
ment. but there are many states and communi-
ties to-day where there exists feeling of
great hostility towards railway corporations.
This is unfortunate and 1t is the duty OF rail-
way managers and of statesmen to discover
wherein lies the trouble and endeavor to cure 1t.
To-day more than one-tfth of all the rail-
ways in the country are in the hands of re-
ceivers, and nearly one-tifth of all the invest
, ment in railways is unproductive This repre-
| sents capital of over two thousand millions
OF dollars. And yet you will find people
preaching crusade to-day through the
ballot box against railway property and
, its management. You will find all man
| | ner OF threats of hostile legislation.
Taxes in every state and city are being
increased almost beyond endurance, and
yet these very communities depend for their
Existence and their future prosperity upon the
railways which they would destroy. This must
| be cured in some manner. The railway man
| ayers themselves are responsible in many
cases and to great extent for this trouble
= They have managed their railways arbi-
trarily; they have endeavored to main
tain that they were private corporations
and could not be controlled by the public
but that day has gone by. The wise
manager to-day has accepted the situation: he
fully realizes that II railway corporation is not
a private partnership; it is great public in
stitution with public duties to perform and
with responsibility to the public and sub
{ ject in certain ways to public control Ever
, the interstate commerce law which was bit
, terly opposed by the great majority OF the rail
way managers, has been accepted; they all be.
lieve 1t has come to stay and that 1t will take
the place OF the disjointed legislation of the diff
y ferent states, and out OF it future good to thi
business communities and to the railways car
be obtained.
I'VE must have certain reforms, and railway
= managers must work these out subject to Law
: | and legislation. IL seems to be the consensus
| OF opinion that the interstate commerce Law
. | should be amended amended so as to legalzt
I contracts between railways, so us to bring this
vast interest of our country under the protec
{ tion as we'll as the burden of the law. Our sys
| tenn OF freight rates must be changed. We can
| not raise the rates on the great products which
| are exported and which have to be carried
;, | long distances, for they will not bear highe
rates of transportation, but terminal charg,
| should be exucted all freights, as it is ii
England. Ono cent hundred pounds ternina
| charge would not be felt by the great mass o
). the people, but it would bring prosperity an,
comfort to tho railway owners and employs
and would enable them to better serve thu
communities which are their patrons.
THE system OF running passenger trainl
q and of making passenger fares must b.
changed We haul a Pullman or Wagner car
weighing fifty tons with twenty-five passen
gers fifty miles hour and charge tn
same rate per mile to the passenger occu
pying the same that we do to the occu
pying coach that weighs twenty-hv
5, tons and carries fifty people at spec
J. of thirty-hve miles an hour The rail
: ways should OVID, either by contract or lease
: their own sleeping cars; they should sell thei
5 tickets ut one rate, good on limited trains, an
y this ticket should furnish sleeping and parlo
d car accommodations, and they should sell
Il ticlSet at another rate on their slow trains