The New South., 1894-10-13
RAILROADS AND THx PEOPLE


IoaaiiA Of tho mtg Four. rh<is MsSs-
ssees. the oa~ 80 she osh~r.
On the occasion OF the reeeat op~n-
Ing Of the new and mAgaff,ccns
terminal station of the Mixsosri Pa
cihc 4 Iron Mountain. the Wabash.
the Louisville & Nashville. the haiti
more a Ohio Southwestern aud The
hig -Four at 81 Louis. begun FIVE years
ago. President NJ, f. lngalis, OF ~.
Big Four, delivered an address on The
Necessity Tor Better Feeling Rctw cen
the Railways and the People After
reviewing briefly the history Of the ef-
fort which had had it's fruifiou in. "a
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
It's completion, President IngAlls
paid just tsbute 10 DR..
Taussig. president OF the Terminal
association, 10 whose Efforts 4
large part of the success OF the new
structure IL due. He then referred TO
the phenomenal growth OF the rail-
roads In this country during the past
sixty years, and claimed the unparai-
'eled development and prosperity %
this country during that time was its
direct result and that its future de.
pended upon the success OF It's trans
portation facilities THAT the rail-
ways should prosper he said, ''is 10
the interest OF every man, woman md
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
aud the people. between the railways
and their employees.
Referring TO the recent strike as
''thc greatest. the most canseless aud
the most unsuccessful In the history
OF strikes and questioning what con
ditions made IL possible that "a few
worthless demagoguesn could induce
such large number OF railway Gun
ployes to neglect their interest aud
forget the loyalty due the companies
the speaker asked what was the cause
OF the great dissatisfaction? As man.
ayers II bchooves them 10 consider tho
question carefully and endeavor 10
And = solution, for somewhere there
WAS an answer. The great strike was
not without Its 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 Il the wise men should sock for
the cause OF the evil and lts cure II the sys-
hem OF pront-sharing among employees could
be adopted have always believed that II
would be q cure for these evils. but before this
can be successfully adopted we Einst secure
the pronts. We ought also 10 establish
system OF pensions Tor those disa-
bled In the service. and for annuitlrs
for those who have been worn out serving
their corporations There must also be
a better feeling built up between tho rnilwAys
and the communities they serve The situation
Is much improved now and ~ Ia not as fashion,
able as II used 10 be Tor newspapers and public
bodies 70 sbusc railways and their manage
ment. but there are many states and conmuni-
ties to-day where there exists q feeling OF
great hostility toward. railway corporntlofn
This is unfortunate. and II Is tho duty OF rail-
way managers and OF statesmen TO discover
wherein lies the trouble and endcavor 10 cure H.
To-day more than onc-nfth OF all she rail-
ways In tho country are Ia tho hands OF re-
ceivcrs, and nearly ons-nf,h Of all snc invcat-
ment In railways Is unproductIve This repre-
scnts capital Of over two thousand millions
Of dollars. And yet you viii md people
preaching crusade to-day through The
ballot box against railway property and
Its management You will md all man
ner Of threats Of hostile legislation
Taxes IN every state and city are being
increased almost beyond cndurnnce aud
yet these very communities depend for their
existence and their future prosperity upon the
railways which they would destroy Thts must
be cured in some manner Tho railway man
ayers themselves are responsible in msny
cases and 10 . great extent FOR this trouble
They have managed their railways arbl-
trariiy; they have andcayorcd 70 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 railway corporation IN not
private partnerships Il Ia great public In
stitution with public duties 10 perform ana
with responsibility 10 tho public and sub
jcct In certain ways 10 public control Even
the Interstate commerce law. which was bit
terly opposed by the great majority Of the rail-
way managers has been accepted: shey ali be-
iieyc It has come TO stay and that It win take
tho place OF the dislointcd legislation Of the diff
fcrenf ststos. and out OF IL future good 70 the
business communities and to the railways can |
be obtained
I'VE must have certain reforms. and railway |
managers must work these out subject TO Law l
and Legislation. IL scems 70 be the consensus
Of opinion that the Interstate commerce Law /
should be amended amended so ax to Icsailrs
vast interest OF our country under the protec- l
tion as well as the burden OF the law. Our sys-
tenn ~ 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 higher
rates Of transportation. but terminal charge /
should be eracted on all frcights. as IL is In
England One cent hundred pounds terminal
charge would not be felt by the great mAsa Of
the people, but II would bring prosperity and 4
comfort 70 the railway owners and employees
and would ensbie them 70 better serve the
communities which are their patrons.
The system OF running passenger trslns
and Of making passenger fares must b.
changed We haul o Pullman or Wagner car +
weighing rfty tons with twenty 1--WE pasxen@
gers nfty miles an hour and charge the
same rate per mile 10 the passenger occu-
pying the narpe that We do TO the one occu-
pyirg coach that weighs twenty ave
tons and carries nfty people At . speed
Of thirty-nvc miles an hour. The rail-
ways should own. either BY contract or lease.
their own sleeping cars they should sell their