The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-20

1t Is to be gencfal pIllllulJ, anu dll
Democrats participating must nbldc by
the result.
ass OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES F iEE
The Government and the Rail
roads. 55#
Of tho railways In the United states, as
returned for June 80, loot was / ,2o6,121 The
wages and salaries paid for the year
amounted to sS1159SSlo.
When considering railroad legislation
these figures must always be kept In
mind The railroads are not merely fac
tors in commerce and industry, they
are great industries within themselves,
giving employment to q million and
quarter persons, and paying out consider
ably moro than three.quarters Of BILL
lion dollars q year III wages.
Our tariff laws arc made to project AND
foster the manufacturing Industries OF
the country, and whenever there IS TAX
of tariff reform the protectionisls nave
n spasm and declare that any such legis-
lll1On Will OeS.IOy VIZ .ApSNo' 'So'
workmen out of doors, and bankrupt the
country. Yet many of these same pro-
5tcctonists seem to think that the law
90 far from protecting the. railroads
should regulate them as rlgldy as pos
sible The railroads ought to be regu-
lated by law, but they ought not TO
he unnecessarily hampered and crippled
by demagogic legislation, made by poll
tIcians to satisfy popular clamor. II we
iniure our manufacturing Industries, the
whole country will feel It, and satter;
il we injure our railroad industries INC
same result will follow. A. Eaay
IN this connection. we have j. private 'st'''
letter from n correspondent, IN when when
some significant suggestions are made
concerning the proposal to give the inter- ne
state Commerce Commission the rlght 10;
make rate in the place Of ono touho
unreasonable and have that rate go lh MY
effect before It's business can be passeo
,,non ~ 4 a, court r"Fcw have realized
says lie, shat this additional authorl =!
would at tho outset hardly inJuro ING
railroads to such an extent as II "ouiu
+he manufacturing and producing COM
munltles.
.Jn tfh,a ffrst place, 1t can be conceueu
MS a fact that there are rev. ~, ~,
localities in these United states m',s -
are not now being supplied by soine ~
81 81, ,,o,o ~ tho commercial centers.. COM
,,a+itnn enters into business condltlons
70 s,cb an extent that II rate is ma we
80 locality favoring one conmuMtsi
some other community Is bound 10 De
injured. ut least for the time belns, us
mndcr# This proposed Increase Of power,
Tho rate made by the commission fei anna -
In effect until Il court has reversal :
or approved It. The railroad $ loss, -
case the decision Of the Interstate C '',
,,orce Commission Is reversed, would !'t'
very small compared with thai OF INC
community whose business YOU'D W
taken away from It temporarily.py the
decision of tho comm lssion. y hl me !. 10
admitted canddly that the rai s1 IVY
lighting this proposition from thetr OWL
standpoint, yet this Is one OF NY ~ -,
dItlons that insists Upon Screept, W., -
md must be viewed as a part OF ltle al
gument. /. n. - 10 : 10
"Durinr the tlmo the altered rate is
IN effect the producing community oene-
nted Will have taken from the commuh-
uy affected, n large proportion Or tn,'
trade, even if only temporarily "hicn
may not DO replaced, Tho trailronos
which arc protecting their own ship
| pers having n common point OF con-
sumption with tho shippers. of scna rate
| md distinct railroads. could no longer
afford TO their nntrons the rates and
| facilities that they now get provided
| the commission could change the rates
from MI points"
| All this goes to show the danger Of
having tho railroads or other sreat en-
tcrprscn OF the land operated under
tho red tape system of government. The
function OF government Is to see to u
that the public interest Is protected mn
that each and every citizen and cacf
and every community gets q square deal
That principle should be applied IN al
| directions, and so applied ms to preven
abuses and discrimination, but y shoul'
BIO applied in such a way as to preserv
4 ali interests involved. and 10 promote NJ
interests, and never in5such q way as Z
cripple enterprise and retard progress
i Observation-Disclosures
New Agents OF Temperance
MI, I,vnninp Wisconsin, OF milwaukee,