Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-05-15

/
nations were what they had always
been--that is. waterways and roads
: Therefore, they were open to all whc
chose TO travel upon them. Within
, the last two generations we have
seen system grow up under which
the old methods were completely rev
olutionized, and now the typical high
ways of commerce is of course the
railroad. Compared to the railroad
the ordinary road for wheeled vehi.
cles, and the waterway whether ma
tural or artificial, have lost their i'm.
potance. Here In Colorado. for in
stance. II is the railroads which of
course are the only highways that
you need take into account In dealing
with the question of commerce in the
state or outside of the state There
fore under this changed system we
see the highways of commerce grow
mp each of which is controlled by n
single corporation or individual;
| sometimes several of them being con
trolied in a combination by corpora
tons or by few individuals. When
sucn is the case. in my judgment. 1t
is absolutely necessary that the ma
tion, for the state cannot possibly do
it, should assume a supervisory and
regulatory function over the great
corporations which practically control
1 the highways OF commerce
| Now fix clearly in your minds two
| facts al the outset. AS with every
| thing else mundane wnen you get that
| supervisory and regulatory power on
| behalf of the nation you will not have
| cured all Inc evils that existed and
YOU will not equal the expectations
| thusiast who thinks that you will
| have cured all those evils. A measure
OF good will come, some good will be
done, sGne Injustice viii have been
prevented. bu, We shall c long
way from the milllnium. Ge' that
fact clear in ,our mind or you will
he aging up for yourselves a store of
inoalcmlable disappointment in .ne fu-
ure. That is the first thing.
Now the second and even the
mere important: When yea give a
nation that power remember thai
harm and not good will come from
the giving it unless you give 1t with
the firm determination not only TO
get justice for yourselves hut to do
justice to others; tnat you will be as
jealous to do justice to the railroads
as to exact justice from them
Cheers and applause.)
We cannot afford in any shape or
way in this country to encourage a
feeling which would do injustice to
man of property any more tnan we
would submit TO injustice from man
of property. Whether the man owns
the biggest railroad or the greatest
outside corporation in the land or
whether he makes each days bread
by the sweat OF that days toll he Is
entitled to justice and fair dealing, to
no more and to no less. (Cneers and
applause)
"A spirit of envy on the part OF
those less well of against the better
off Is as bad and no worse than a
spirit of arrogant disregard for the
the part of the man OF large means.
The arrogance and the envy are not
two different qualities, They are the
same quality shown by men under
different circumstances.
I'VE must make up our minds that
nothing but harm will come from
any scheme to exercise such super
vision rs that I advocate over corpor.
ations. and especially over the COM
mon carriers. and unless we have II
clearly fixed in our minds tnat the
scheme Is TO be one of substantial
Justice alike TO the common carrier
and to the public. (Applause.) II
have the appointment or retention
of any commission and power to ad-
minister a law OF such increased pow
ers | shall neither appoint nor re
tain the man who would fail to do
Justice to the railroad any more than
| would appoint or retain the man
the railroad
81 want that understood as a pre-
liminary, that is. II have the ap-
pointment Of those men or their re-
tention. they will give square deal
all around or else their thrift will be
short. But with that statement as a
preliminary wish to urge with all
the earnestness | POSSESS not only
upon the public but upon those inter
ested in the great railway corpora
tons the absolute need of acquies-
cence In the enactment OF such a law.
AS has been well set forth by the at
torney general, Mr.. Moody. In his re-
cent mastery argument presented to
the committee of the senate which is
investigating the matter. the legisla-
tors have the right and as I believe
the duty of comforting those powers
upon some executive body. 1t cannot
confer them npon any court, nor can
| |, take away the courts power to in
terfere II the law Is administered in
a way that amounts to confscation of
property.
| "Of course It would be possible to
| come mucn short Of such confiscation
and yet do great damage, perhaps ir.