Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-12-05
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
tcontInued from paae one.l

AANN1H AANA N.N
fecting rates, are concerned. The prt-
vate car owners and the owners OF in
dustrial railroads are entitled 10. a falr
and reasonable compensation on their IN
vestment, but neither private cars nor
industrial railroads nor spur tracks
shout be utilized as devices for secur-
ing preferential rates. "A rebate In ICING
charges or In mileage, or in "A division OF
the rate for refrigerating charges rs
just as perniciOus as a rebate IN any
other way. No lower rate should ap-
NV on goods imported than actually OBJ
Iains on domestic goods from the Amer
lean seaboard to destination except ~
cases where water competition ~ IL
controlling influence. There should DE
publicity Of the accounts OF common
carriers. no commOn carrier engaged III
Interstate business should keep al
books or memoranda other than those
exported pursuant to law or regulation
and these books or memoranda shou
be open to the Inspection OF the gov
eminent. Only in this way can VIOLA
tons or evasions of the law De surely
detected. A system OF examination %
railroad accounts should be. provided
similar to that now conducted into the
national banks by the bank examiners,
q few first-class railroad accounta
il they had proper direction ana proper
authority to Inspect books n papers,
could accomplish much in preventing
wilful violations Of the law. IL Wouit
not be necessary for them TO examine
into the accounts of any railroad unless
Tor good reasons they were directed 10
do so by the Interstate COM
mission. 1t is greatly to be desired that
some way might be found by which an
agreement as to transportation within a
state intended to operate as "A fraud
upon the federal Interstate
laws could be brought under the juris-
diction of the federal authorities.
present. It occurs that large shipments
Of Interstate traffic are controlled by
concessions on purely state business,
which of course amounts to an evasion
Of the law. The commission shoe
have power to enforce fair treatment by
the great trunk lines OF lateral and
branch lines.
urge upon the congress the need OF
providing for expeditions action by the
Interstate commerce commission IN Z
these matters whether in regulaling
rates for transportation or for storing
or for handling of property or commod-
tiles in transit. The history of the
cases Irrigated under the present COM
merce act shows that it's efficacy has
been to "A great degree destroyed by tn
weapon of delay, almost the most tor-
midable weapon in the hands of those
whose purpose il is to violate the
law.
For Good of Good Roads.
Let me most earnestly say that these
recommendations are not made in any
spirit If hostility to the railroads. On
ethical grounds, on grounds of right,
such hostility would be intoleraDlei ana
on grounds of mere national selt-inter-
est we must remember that such nos.
tility would tell against the welfare not
merely of some fe wrioh men, but OF a
multitude of small investors, a multi
tude of railway employees, wage Work
ers. and most severely against the IN
terest of the public as a whole. l be
lieve that on the whole, our RAILROADS
have done well and not III;
but the railroad men who wish to DO
well should not be exposed to competi-
ton with those who have no such ue-
sire, and the only way to secure this
end is TO give to some government trl-
bunal the power to see that justice is
lone by the unwilling exactly as IL Is
gladly done by the willing. Moreover
il some government body is given m
creased power the effect will be TO lur-
nlsh authoritative answer ON behalf Of
the railroad whenever irrational clamor
against il is raised, or wheheVf charBts
made against II are disproVeu. ASK
this legislation not only in the inter-
est of the public but in the interest OF
the honest railroad man and the non
chiefly ~jeoparded by the practices OF
their dishonest competitors. rms leg
islation should be enacted in q spirit as
remote as possible from hysteria ana
rancor. If we of the American body
polite are true to the traditions we
have inherited we shall always scorh
my effort TO make us hate any man ne 3
should scorn any effort to make us loon
down upon or treat contemptuouSly
any man because ne IS poor 20 10 w" Nv his
Character-a not by his. wealth. or
intellect. If he makes his fortune non,
estlv, there is no just cause OF quarret
with MIN. Indeed, we have nothing Dut
the kindliest of ' feelings of admlra-
ton for the successful business man
who behaves decentiyi T iifldier H ore
managing a railroad or by shipping
goods over that railroad. The big rail-
road men and big shippers are simply
Americans of the ordinary type VINO
have developed to an extraordinary de-
gree certain great business qualltles.
They are neither better nor worse nan
They are merely more able In certain
ines and therefore exposed TO cSTtaLn
peculiarly strong temptations. lnese
temptations have not sprung newl cyesn f :
among mapkind have always been eN-
posed to them; but they have grown
amazingly ia p6wer as a result o.
extraordinary development OF NOUS
trialfsm along new lines and under
these new conditions, which. the law,
makers of old could not torsee ana
they have become so serious and men
a,iug A. u demand entirely new rem
edies. 1t is in the interest of the pest
type of railroad man NJ the nnbt
lie that there should be governmental
supervision and regulation OF these Breat
business operations, Tor the same ca
son that IL is in the interest OF the cor
pora.ion which wishes TO treat It's en-
ployes Alright that there should De an e.
fcctive employers liability act, or an eI-
lNftlNE SASltIn VI laANtA1
vent the abuse of women and chlldren'
All such legislation frees the corpora
ton that wishes TO do well from pelns
driven into doing i'll, In order TO com-
Tete with it's rival, which prefers TO DO
i'll. We desire to set up a moIdl stdLu-
ard. There can be no deluslohs nnVie
fatal TO the nation n inc pei Tas
that the standard of profits. OF business
prosperity, Is sufficient in judging any
business or political ~uestloh-lrom a
legislation to municipal eoNsIn iDdt
- 800 UhptbpT for the llul-
yiduaI rof or the nation, is a gooo thlnS
only so far as II Is accompanied py anu
develops a high %tandard OF cohuuJS
honor, integrity, civic eoutage' nints The
stanGqrd e honor. that put an lhoIul-
nate yulue on mere wealth, thht MANS
Il man ruthless and COMPREHENSIVE ~
trade and weak and cowardly IN citlLeh-
sh.u is not q good thing at all, paI q
very bad thing for the nAll9n runn5
government stands for mhnIoou lISl az"
for business oiH "s an '"'"N'' VI "'
hood.
Transportation Underlying Interest
TIL. question of transportation Hes ~
the root of all Industrial success, nnH
The revolution I'm transportatlnh Whlyh
has taken place during the last nan srh-
uiry has been the most lmpoItiils 81
tor lu the growth Of the new lhuIS'ii",
conditions. Most emphatlChll! ~ re-,
N,igh 10 see the man OF great talents ~,
n sed the reward for his talents SUI
less do we wish to see him penaI'AeH' pu'
We do desire to see the system nl ~.
road TRANSPORTATION so hatdltu lll.t ~
strong mait shall be given no adNlah-
tags over the weak. We Visit Z" LnS"a
MS lair treatment for the smali 'oNn a.
for the big city: for the small shlbpsL
as for the big shipper. In inc olH n.y.
the highway Of commerce. whelher ny
W.ter or by the q on land Was otSn
tn all, II belonged 10 the punlv auT ~
traffic along IA was free. Al p'tS'"t ~
railway IS this highway, ana We ulust
d our hest 10 see that 4 : k'pt "pJd