Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-10-12
RAILROADS AND THE PEOPLE.
an Excellent Address by President NJ. n,
ingalls,, of the Zig Four, on Their Rela.
tlOns, tho One To the Other.

w h'ihni otupiOh OF tne MlSbpurl ia
cific & Iron Mountain, the Wabash,
the Louisville & Nashville, the Balti.
more h Ohio Southwestern and the
Big Four at st. Louis begun Ave years
ago, President M, b. 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, 1.-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 a just tribute to DR..
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 its
direct result and that its future de.
pended upon the success of its 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" tRf.F
Referring to the recent strike as
"the greatest, the most causeless and
the most unsuccessful in the history
of strikes and questioning what con-
ditions made it possible that "a few
worthless demagogues" could induce
such large number of railway en-
ployes 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 solution, for some where 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 1t the wise men should seek for
the cause OF the evil and its cure. II the sys-
| TEN Of proft-sharng among employees could
be adopted, / have always believed that it
would be cure for these evils: but before this
can be successfully adopted we must secure
the profits. We ought also to esta blish
a system OF pensions for those dIsa-
bled in the service, and for annuities
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 1t 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 it
To-day more than one-flfth OF all the rail
ways in the country are In the hands OF re-
ceivers and nearly one-fifth 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 til,
ballot box against railway property an(
its management You will find all man
ner OF threats of hostile legislation
Taxes in every state and city are beinl
increased almost beyond endurance. anc
yet these very communities depend for thei
existence and their future prosperity upon tn
railways which they would destroy. This mus
be cured In some manner The railway man
ayers themselves are responsible In man.
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 corporation
and could not be controlled by the public
but that day has gone by. The wis
manager to-day has accepted the situation. h
fully realizes that railway corporation is no
private partnership; it is great public In
stitution with public duties to perform an
with responsibility to the public and sub
ject In certain ways to public control, I've
!, the interstate commerce law, which was bit
terly opposed by the VI eat majority OF the rail
way managers, has been accepted; lhey all be
lieve 1t has come to stay and that IL will TAX
the place OF the disiointed legislation of the di
ferent states, and out of 1t future good to tn
business communities and TO the railways ca
be obtained.
I'VE must have certain reforms, and rdilwa
managers must work these out subject to lay
and legislation. 1T seems to be the consensu
OF opinion that the Interstate commerce la
should be amended; amended so as to legalz
contracts between railways, so as to bring thi
vast interest of our country under the proteC
ton as well as the burden OF the law. Our sys
tenn Of freight rates must be changed. We eau
not raise the rates on the great products whic
are exported ant which have to be carrie
long distances fer they will not bear highe
rates Of transportation, hut terminal charg
should be exacted on all freightS, as it is /
England One cent hundred pounds terminS
charge would not DE felt by the great mass
the people, but it would bring prosperity an
I comfort to the railway owners and employe
, and would enable them to better serve tn
communities which are their patrons.
THE system of running passenger train
} and of making passenger fares must b
! changed We haul Pullman or " agner ca
weighing fifty ton. with twenty-five pasSer
gers fifty miles an hour and charge tn
same rate per mile to the passenger occl
plying the same that we do to the one occ,
pying a coach that weighs twenty-tiy
. tons and carries fifty people at spec
, OF thirty-tive miles an hour The raj
ways should own, either by contract or leas
their own sleeping cars; they should sell the
Z tickets at one rate, good on limited trains, an
| this ticket should furnish sleeping and parlC
= car accommodations, and they should sell
ticket ut another rate on their slow train
' which should furnish merely seNt accommodj
> tions.
: "Finally better state of feeling betweC
EMPLOYEES and the management, between bus
, ness communities and the man cement, shou
be built up by association, by an accommoda
ing spirit on the part Of each. pledge you
piyhf the railways to work to this end "