The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1905-05-27
RaIIroads anl Proareas.


In his testimony beipre the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce At
Washington on May 4th. Prof. Hugo r.
Meyer OF Chicago University. an eH-
pert on railroad management, made
this statement:
LET US look at what might have
happened IL we had needed the pro-
tests OF the farmers OF New York and
Ohio and Pennsylvania lin the seven
ties when grain from the west began
pouring 20 the Atlantic seaboaFd) ana
acted upon the doctrine which the In
terslate Commerce Commission has
enuhciated time and again, that no
man may be deprived Of the advan-
tages aceruing TO him by virtue Of his
geographical position. We could not
have west OF the Mississippi q popn'
latloh OF millions Of people who are
prosperous and are great consumers
We never should have seen the years
when we built 10000 and $4,000 miles
Of railroad for there would have been
no farmers west OF the Mississippi
river who could have used the land
that would have been opened up by
the building OF those railways. And
IL We had not seen the years when
we could build 10000 and ~ 600 miles
OF railway a year. We should not have
today east of the Mississippi a steel
and iron producing center which is Al
once the marvel and the despair 81
Europe. because we could not have
built Up a steel and iron industry Il
there had been no market for lis pro
duet.
we could not have In New England
great boot and shoe industry; We
could not have In New England q
great cotton milling industry; We
could not have spread throughout New
York and Pennsylvania and Ohio man
ufaeturing industries Of the most di
yersihad kinds, because those indus
tries would have no market among the
farmers west 81 the Mississippi river
And while the progress Of this eoun
TRY while the development Of the agri
cultural West ~ this country. dis
mean The impairment % the agricul
tuFal value East of the Mississippi
river that ran up into hundreds o
millions 81 dollars. II meant inciden
ltaily the building up 81 great manu-
lfAeturing industries that added 10 IN
value 0f this land by thousands Of mt
Hons u dollars. And. gentlemen
those things were not foraeen 10 ID
seventies. The statesmen and the pun
nc men a. this country did not Ee
what part the agricultural develop
meat d the West Was Eoing 20 pln
ia she Industrial development ~ ID
East. And you may read the decision
II the Interstate Commerce Cummii
sion from she hrst 20 the last en-
What is one o; the greatest character
lstica ~ those dociaiuns9 The cot
tluued inability 10 see the question
this large way
The Interstate Commerce Commit
slun never can see anything more tina
tha, the farm land o. some farmer
, decreasing In value. OF that some ma
/ who has a Gour mill with a prodnctio
. % 90 barrels a day ia being crowdc
, out II never can SEQ that the d
; atrucilon or impairment 81 farm va
, aea IN this place means the buildin
! up ~ farm values IN that plnce. an
!. that that shifting 81 values il = Bccc
!. aary incident 20 the Industrial an
[, manufacturing development of III
I. country. And II Nc shall give 10 q
, interstate Commerce Commission u
power 10 regulate rates. We shall .
longer have our rates regulated on u
h aiAtcsmaniike basis on which ths
have been regulated in tho past
J. railway men. who really have bee
!. great Statesmen. who really have be-
, great builders u empires. who has
I. had an imagination that rivals q
Imagination % tho greatest poet az
ug the greatest inventor. aud WI
have operated with a courage ~
daring that rivals the courage At
daring nf the greatest military &c
aral. hut We shall have our rat
regulated by = body 81 civil servant
huruaucrata, whose heacttinE sin q
world over IL that they never q
grasp a situation In a larEe way al
Nth the grasp ~ the statesman: IN
u they never can sec the fact that tbs
10 are confronted with a small evil: G
T. cept by the creation 81 eyile Al
ahuaea which are Infinitely great
T. than the one that Ia to be corrected