The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-11-18
TALKED TO R. R. men
PRESIDENT TELLS EMPLOYEES
WHAT he DESIRES DONE.


Grown Too Common-Over-C sp-
itallzatlon Touched Upon.
Washington, Nov. 16.-Addressing
q delegation representing the five great
labor organizations connected with
interchangeable engineers, firemen,
conductors, switohmen and trainmen-
who presented a protest against rail
road freight rate legislation, President
Roosevelt said:
"Gentlemen, have just word that
I want to ssy to you. In the first
place, I trust need hardly say that no
delegation will ever be more welcome
at the White House than such dele
cation as this. The interests of the
wage workers and the interests of the
tillers Of the soil must be particularly
close to all American public men;
among other reasons for the reason
that if they prosper all other GLASSES
will prosper likewise, as matter Of
course.
''As said the other day to the rep
ressentatives of organized labor at At
lanta, shall do everythoing in my
power for the laboring men except to
do ANYTHING wrong; for the man who
will do anything wrong in the nominal
interest of another man will also do
wrong against this same other man If it
ever becomes to his interest to do 60.
"Your associations deserve peculiar
because you have developed to
q marked degree the very qualities
that all bodies Of wage workers should
develop-the intelligence, the regard
for the future, the self-respect mingled
with the respect for others, the power
of self restraint, which are absolutely
essential to any body Of men which 10
to move upward and onward.
Rates Not In Question.
"With most of the general state
ments that You make I agree, but I am
not sure that agree with your appli-
cation of them.
"There has been comparatively little
complaint to me Of the railroad rates
being on the whole too high. The GEM
plants that have been made to me
have been Of improper discrimination
in railroad rates.
For instance, in two recent cases
affecting great corporations, the CON-
plants that have been made to me
have been that they are too low as
regards certain big shippers; the COM
plant in both these cases is about the
differential, the difference Of treat.
ment of two sets Of users Of the rail-
ways, the Discrimination is in favor of
one set Of shippers az against another
set Of shippers. Whether this 10 just
or not am not prepared to say.
~ very deeply appreciate and sym.
pathize with tho feeling you cypress a.
to the community Of interest between
the man who actually does the han
ding Of trains, ut the brakes. in the
engine cabs, 90 q fireman. a. q CON-
ductor and the man who has to do a.
q capitalist or a. q higher employe of
the capitalist with the management Of
the road.
LESSON IOT pCOptC.
81 feel that one Of the lessons that
cannot be over-inculosted 10 the lesson
Of identity of interest among our peo-
pie as q whole. do not have to tell
a body Of people like this something I
do have to tell some other bodies, and
that is If you have not got at the head
Of railroad q man who can make
success Of it, the wage workers on that
cannot prosper.
1T You will look at my Raleigh
speech and nay other recent utterances
You will see the principle clearly set
forth.
II have said again and again that I
would not tolerate for one moment any
injustice to railroad any more than I
would tolerate any injustice by rail-
road.
81 have said again and again that 1
would remove public official who i'm
properly yielded to q public clamor
against railroad, no matter how pop.
ular that clamor might be-. just as
az would remove a public
official who rendered an improper serv-
ice to the railroad at the expense Of the
public, but am convinced that there
must be increased regulatory and SUI
pervisory power exercised by the gov
eminent over the railroads.
Would Go r1uCh fartGr.
Indeed, would like it exercised to
q much greater extent than have any
idea Of pressing at the moment. For
instance. / would greatly like to have
It exercised in the matter Of over-cap-
italization.