The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-16
ROOSEVELT SEES
RAILROAD CHIEFS
Stickney Of Great Western Says
Regulation Is Better Than
Public Ownership. e
Warns Legislators to Deal with
Question Before It Is Too
Late.
By w. w. Jermane.

BY w. w. Jermane.
Washington, Dec, 16.-7President
Roosevelt is having almost daily inter
views with railroad presidents and pro-
prietors on the subject Of proposed leg
islation for increased power OF govern
ment regulation. Among those who
the past week are j. Pierpont Morgan,
G. s. Mellen, president Of the New
York, New Haven & Hartford railway;
A. B. Stickney, president OF the Chlca-
20 Great Western; Chauncey NJ. De-
biltss; Senator Stephen B. Elkins of the
West Virginia coal-carrying roads, and
! several others.
The prospect that the government
ownership of railroads will be pushed to
the front as a political issue, if con-
i've action, is having great weight with
the railroad interests. Most Of the
| railroad men believe that government
ownership would be unwise and hurtful,
but this opinion is not unanimous even
among railroad men.
MIR. stickney's Views.
Mr.. Stickney, who came to Washing
ton last night, talks Of the government
ownership idea as having advantages.
| He says:
"The government Of the United
States should either own and operate
the railroad lines Of the country or
agement. The latter plan I think wiser
and to be preferred The railroads af-
ter all are as much the subject Of gov
eminent control as the public high
ways. The difference is that in the
case Of the highways everybody con-
cedes the authority of the state, while
as to the other we have become used
to the dominion Of the corporations.
More Regulating Power.
Mr.. Stickney thinks the Interstate
commerce commission should be given
ton Of rates. He says the move for
railroad consolidation is going on rapid
: ly and will continue and adds:
Fright here lies the difficulty and
, the danger. IF the thing keeps up un
: til three or four men virtually own al
! the railroads, big and little. they will
). become more powerful than the govern
ment itself. Why notq Are not the
: revenues of all the roads greater thar
: the consciousness Of this enormous fnan
cial strength there is apt to come thu
: idea that all the multitude of employees
should vote just as their employers di
: rect. It has always been said tina
9 the American people will take hold Of ,
y :, public evil and annihilate it If thu
emergency arises, but there might CONF
a time when by deferring action the1
a would be too late.'
Cassatt OF White House.
). Washington, Dec. ia: J. Cassatt
Il road company, called at the Whit
House today, prior to the cabinet as p %eet
dent Roosevelt. His talk with tn
= president extended until after the hou
n for the meeting Of the cabinet and Nj
10 Cassatt met the members Of the cabine
n az they assembled for the meeting
II About fifteen minutes after the cabine
70 had assembled, Mr.. Cassatt left tn
z president g office and was driven to tn
20 capitol. He declined to discuss tn
4 4 nature Of his visit to the president, say
Il, IL ing he called merely to pay his respect
., to Mr.. Roosevelt.
ID Cooper Bill Hearing.
-, u, The Cooper-Quarles bill, permittir
fix railroad rates, was the subject Of
al hearing today by the senate committe
~. on interstate commerce, at which B.
ne ward B. Bacon Of Milwaukee,, chat
40 man Of the executive committee Of tt
az az Interstate commerce law conventio
n. to Senator Tillman, Mr.. Bacon said
A.. was confident the bill represented tt
nd wishes Of the business interests in pr
,r. viding for suspending the finding
az the commission in cases Of appeal.
nj "Then,'' said Mr.. Tillman, "y
II don't agree with the president, W!
recommends that rate fixed by t.
commission shall 20 into immediate {
fect?'
In reply the witness said the pre-
ga dent had not gone into detail In
Nv message, but Mr.. Tillman replied tn
if he understood the English languae
IN, he was certain that his construct
I'd Of the message is correct.
- Suspension Of Rates.
in Mr.. Bacon said that the shippe
as would prefer the suspension Of rat
at for sixty days pending, an appeal, wi
no time limit on appeals, to giving U
on limited time and allowing the rates
IN 90 into immediate effect. He said TIL
cd In case 1t should be ultimately decid
ars that the rate fixed by the commissi
~ was too low, the railroads would ha
~" no recourse on account of the loss 81
49,, tanned, but he agreed with Senator T!
sal man that such condition would be
20 worse on the railroads than rate tf
Ing e is too high would be- on the shippers
ny h, NEW YORK IS VICTOR