The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-05
RAILWAYS AS TRUST MAKERS.
SCHURNAN or CORNELL TALKS
or ROOSEVELTS PLAN.
Tells n Cooper Union Audience That the
President IL Right In His ideas OF
Regulating Tranio Rates-The Time
Il Not Yet Ripe to Fight the Trusts.


President Jacob G. schurman of Cornell
lectured last night at Cooper Union on
Individuality. il was the first Of a series
OF eight popular Wednesday night lectures
on education. President Schurman took
occasion in the couree OF his remarks to
knock severely the modern railroad sys-
tenn. He said in part:
an this generation, to quote poet OF
the past generation, things ride men. And
the things to-day are OF titanic power. When
ono beholds them, he Ia moved 10 ask;
What doth il profit us IL America gains
the whole world and Americans lose their
souls?
The high organization Of modern So
cietv tends TO suppress tho individual.
Take the industrial field. A generation
ago all over this country men OF small
means were conducting establishments
OF their own Now II is all changed. Huge
corporations own the business the indi-
vidunl is only hand, part of the ma
chine The individual is crushed out; the
thing ia riding the man.
Most Of us recognize It; most OF us
have remedies There's the Socialist, with
his remedy / myself cannot believe in
want municipal ownership of your water
supply, for example. just as many smaller
cities have. that is all right. mere Is
nothing against public ownership OF thlng
which Is In itself a natural monopoly hke
water.
But when It comes to universal govern
rnent ownership. that's another thlng.
I've no faith IN IL. 1t would all be IN ne
control of the politicians. and we know what
politicians are Things might pc moro
evenly distributed, but there would be- less
to distribute:
If we could keep the present competitive
idea and get rid of monopoly, we wouin
have system nearly perfect.
Inc speaker otiuted some statlstlcs 10
show the growth Of the trust idea, and
went on:
The problem IL n colossal one but IL
il not q fact that most of these great COM
binations owe their existence 10 some favor.
often n Government favor, more often per
haps n railway favor? The power OF the
railway IL enormous. II can mako and I'M
make corporations, communtles even
Govornfnenta We have had 10 remake
our fundamental economic laws for "
Now. the initial cost Of any article equals
not the profit on the capital Invested Plus
the coet of labor. but the price on trans
portntion must be added The trusts OF
to-day are butt IN no email measure ~
railroad favors.
Now. II we believe this our point ~
attAck must be the railroads | believe
that Theodore Roosevelt was right when
he said in his message 10 Congress That
one of the most important duties OF tie
new Depart ment OF Commerce would be
the regulation Of railroad rates. II rates
are over 20 regulated. If discrimination l.
stopped by law. the agency that helped 70
make the trusts monopolstic will he IN our
hands.
Il don't believe that the moment Is here
for a movement against the great industrial
trusts Here's one great trust evil FOR "a
to fight al once Let's settle that before
we proceed 10 the others
Tho old system of competition Is stu
the beat system. but lot il he fair Compe-
,ition as It will be when railway fayoritism
is removed.