The San Francisco call., 1904-06-05
AMERICAN RAILWAYS.

The Journal comedies the justice of all that Mr. Priest
ly about the enterprise and genius of American
railway management which has succeeded in giving the
best and cheapest service. while paying the highest
wages in the world But the Journal says "As regards
the relations of the railroads the rights of the public
notable lack of wisdom and frankness has been dis
played Speaking broadly they have fought every inch
OF the way in effort to prevent publicity and reason
able governmental supervision of the railroads They
have generally failed appreciate the difference between
stupid and partisan ant-railroad agitation and IN
telgent nsstence upon public rights. The railroad
managers have seemed include both the political agi-
tators and the critics of the railroads in the
class. and have presented constant antagon-
ism both"
By way of proof and specification the Journal says
that: "a retired railroad official who years ago
the head of of the great American systems,
his name known from the Atlantic the Pacific, but
who peacefully engaged in the pursuit OF farm
ing spoke OF the change in the point of which his
retirement from the railroad business had brought about
He is the position of shipper of freight,
transporter, maker of rates He spoke of Of
the annoyances to which he has been subjected by the
railroads which he has to ship his goods of the
difficulty of bringing his complaints to the high officials
OF the company and of obtaining redress for such
and losses he had suctained"
This reminds of reported experience of the late
Senator Stanford when he president of the Central
and Southern Pacific roads In the operation of his
large private at Vina in Tehama County. if be
necessary ship to that point his railroad
large quantity Of freight He had go the freight
department for cars, classification and rates. and
countered many difficulties that he finally revoed
and ordered fatboats built carry his freight up the
river in of tugboat The sequel to the story that
thereafter no business man appealed him in vain for
redress any caused by the policy OF his roads
AS the other branch of the Journals article, resist
ance to economic and partisan agitation alike, must
in fairness. partly it. The economic critics of
the American roads admit that if all the partisan propo
ons for legislation against the roads became the law
would be impossible to operate the roads at all Very
naturally the railway managers treat every proposition
egisate the entering wedge for that
impair their control of their property that first it will
be profitable to its and finally will be
crippled public convenience and necessity When
the latter happens the agtators who have brought it
about stand ready charge it the ignorant and
defective legislation they have secured, but the
tumacy of the railroads. Then they will demand more
legislation Of the same kind and increase difficulty for
which they and the railroads responsible.
From point of view it is desirable much pos
sible avoid political action by legislation The
critics OF railway management should be encouraged
address themselves that management only If the
reforms they propose valid if they bring the roads
and the public interest one. if they facilitate
rather than impair the operation of the roads quasi
public agency then they should be adopted by the roads
without waiting for requiring legislation In this way
the agitator and economist will be differentiated 1t
goes without saying that the greatest of public
complaint will be removed by the roads furnishing
prompt place of authority to patiently
hear and justly decide the grievances of shippers The
experience of the retired railroad official very sugges
tive that point He undoubtedly knows that railroad
business be exempt from the incidental disagree
that found in all business They require set
tlement before they degenerate into grudge When
they the grudge then those who suffer them
naturally gravitae the side of the partisan demagogue
anti-rairoad agitator.
In this State have pioneered in the of get
ting the people and the railroad together After wasting
many years upon all of fantastic legislative propo
stion it has become the practice of the departmental
managers of railroads and the producers and ship
pers to get together and without heat recrimnaton
discuss the issues that arise between them Examples
of this in the meetings between the citrus
and the railroads discuss their mutual interests
The citrus do not always get all they want but
they feel that they have been heard. They have had
that "day in court which is the highly priced right of
Americans. When compelled to there state their case
as business proposition often looks less attractive
them than it did while it cherished grievance
On their side the railroad managers find that in such
contact they also give for their policy and
it frequently suffers when a be given
AS far as publicity concerned, this California method
seems to us to the desirable publicity far
more beneficial than that which crudely considered
seek compel Upon the whole there little
TO encourage pessnism in the American railroad stu
alton The service being the cheapest and the best in
the world by of voluntary action of the roads
and not by the compuson of legislation there should
pe reason hope that other of complaint will
disappear the amcable friction of reasonable discus