Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-20

you people Of the south show a strong in
terest therein.
Dividend IL Certain.
Such reserves would be a paying invest
ment. not only in protection to many inter-
ests, but In dollars and cents 20 the govern
ment. The Importance to the southern peo-
pie of protecting the southern mountain
forests Is obvious. These forests are the
best defense against the foods which, in the
recent past, have during a single twelve
month, destroyed property officially valued
at nearly twice what 1t would cost TO puy
the Southern Appalachian reserve. The
maintenance OF your southern water powers
is not less important than the prevention OF
floods. because II they are Injured your
them. The perpetuation of your forests,
which have done so much for the south,
public men. The two senator's from North
Carolina have taken an honorable part in
this movement. But do not think that the
people of North Carolina, or of any other
southern state, have quite grasped the I'M
portance of this movement to the com
mercial development and prosperity OF the
south.
The position of honor in your parade
today is held by the confederate veterans
They by their deeds reflect credit upon
their descendants and upon all Americans,
both because they did their duty in war and
because they did their duty in peace. Now
If the young men, their sons, will not only
prove that they possess the same power or
fealty to an ideal, but will also show The
efficiency in the ranks OF industrial life
that their fathers, the confederate veterans,
showed that they possessed In the ranks OF
war, the Industrial future of this great and
| typically American commonwealth Is as
sured
The extraordinary development OF indus
| tralism during the last half century has
| been due to several causes, but above all to
the revolution in the methods OF transporta-
| ton and communication; that Is, to steam
and to electricity, to the railroad and the
] telegraph.
Development of Commerce.
When this government was founded com
| merce was carried on by essentially the
same instruments that had been in use not
| only among civilized, but among barbarian,
| nations, ever since history dawned: that is,
J by wheeled vehicles drawn by. animals, by
boats on land this meant that COMMERCE
went in slow, cumberous and expensive
mallye these highways could not compete
: with water transportation, IL such was
|, feasible between the connecting points.
I All this has been changed by the develop
! ment of the railroads Save on the ocean
or on lakes so large as to be practically in
lost it's old position of superiority over
! transport by land, while instead of the old
| highways open to every one on the same me
have new highways-railroads-wh are
owned by private corporations and which
limited. usefulness The old laws and old
customs which were adequate and proper
to meet the old conditions need radical re
/ ditions. The cardinal features In these
changed conditions are, first, the fact that
the new highway, the railway, is, from the
commercial standpoint of Infinitely greater
! importance la our industrial life than was
the old Highway the wagon road; a ana. sec =
| in the hands OF private owners, whereas
the old highway, the wagon road, was In
the hands Of the state.
Control of Railroads.
The management of the new highway, the
railroad, or rather of the intricate web Of
railroad lines which cover the country, is
a task infinitely more difficult, more deli
cate and more important than the primi-
lively easy task of acquiring or keeping in
order the old highway so that there Is
properly no ahology whatever 1s, between he
ownership OF anything which can with
propriety be left In private hands, and in
particular L should most strenuously object
to government ownership of railroads. But
believe with equal tirmness that IL is out
OF the question for the government not to
over the railroads. for it Is vital to the we'll
being OF the public that they should be
toward all the public Actual experience
has shown that 1t is not possible to leave
the railroads uncontrolled. Such a system,
or rather such a lack OF system, is fertile
in abuses of every kind, and puts a pre-
MUM upon INSCRIPTIONS and ruthless
cunning In railroad management; for there
are some big shippers and some railroad
managers who are always willing to take
unfair advantage of their weaker competi-
tors and they thereby force other big
shippers and big railroad men who would
like to do decently into similar acts OF
wrong and injustice, under penalty OF
being left behind in the race for success
Government supervision is needed quite as
much in the interest of the big shipper
and Of the railroad man who want to dc
right as In the interest OF the small shipper
and the consumer.
Lesson of Experience.
Experience has shown that the present
laws are defective and need amendment
The effort to prohibit all restraint OF com.
petition, whether reasonable or unreaso
able, Is unwise What we need Is to have
some administrative body with ample power
TO forbid combination that is hurtful 10 the
public, and to prevent faVoritism TO one
Individual at the expense of another. In
other words, want an administrative
body with the power to secure fair and JUS
treatment as among all shippers who use
! the railroads-and all shippers have a right
to use them. We must not leave the en-.
forcement OF such law merely to the de.
paTtment OF Justice il is out of the cues dor
for the law department OF the government
TO do what should be purely administrativ,
work. The department Of justice is to stanC
behind and cooperate with the administra,
tive body, but the administrative body Il
self must be given the power 70 do the worl
and then held TO a strict accountability fol-
the exercise OF that power. The delays OF
the law are proverbial, and what we neeC