The Portland daily press., 1898-09-10

1t is gratifying to see that there is at
least one prominent steam railroad presi-
dent in New England who doesn't cher
ish any delusion about electric railroads,
and is fully alive to the fact that the peo-
pie are bound to have them, and that they
possess certain advantages for short dis.
tance passenger transportation which the
steam railroads cannot Overcome. The
success of a manager of a great property
depends very largely upon his ability to
recognize the appearance of new condi-
tons and adapt his management to
them. Oftentimes the chief difference
between the successful and unsuccessful
manager lies in the difference of power
or disposition to appreciate what can be
fought against with prospect OF succ ess
and what can't. The one who lacks this
power or disposition squanders his ener-
gies and the resources of the property
under his charge in useless light
against the inevitable, while the other
sets to work to adapt his management to
the new conditions. Thousands OF dol.
lars have been squandered on lawyers
and lobbyists in this state to hold
up electric railroads, and if rumors are
true thousands more will be spent this
winter. This is good for the lawyers and
lobbyists, but 1T is bad for the steam rail-
roads and for the public-bad for the
railroads because 1t is only retarding tenn
porarily the development of the electric
road, while it is storing up wrath which
will some day vent itself in unjust and
oppressive legislation against the steam
road; and bad for the public because it
is depriving them of many advantages.
The sooner the steam railroad people in
this Stats get down to the view of Prssi
dent Tuttle, that within a radius OF six
miles of populous communities electric
railroads are bound to be built and that
they are bound to be competitors for pas
senger traffic within that distance, the
better it will be for them. 1t is quite
true that development of the electric rail
road involves some hardsihps to the own
ers Of the steam railroads, but every new
device involves hardships. The labor saw
ing machine throws out of employment
great many working men. But these
hardships must be borne. The great ma
jority of the people derive benefits from
electric roads, and the small minority
which may in some way be injuriously
affected by them must give way. The
electric road as now built and run will
never be serious competitor with the
steam roads except for short distances.
The frequent stopping to take on passen-
gers which constitutes its advantages over
short distances is fatal disadvantage
over long distances, because of the delay
it occasions, and the advantage which
| the electric road now enjoys in getting its
right Of way for nothing will in time bs
less than now, for towns and cities will
some day insist, and very properly, that
electric roads shall pay something for the
privilege of running through their
streets and over their roads. We do not
believe there is the slightest danger that
the steam railroad will be ruined by the
electric, any more than gas lighting
by electricity, but even if there is
danger of that sort it cannot be perma-
nently averted by appealing to legisla-
lures or railroad commissioners.