The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-05-26

nai'rohus ana trogrese.
In his testimony before the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce at
Washington on Msy 1, Professor Hugo
Il. Meyer. of Chicago University. an
expert m railroad management. made
this statement;
Let us look M what might have hap
pened IL we had needed The protests
of the farmers OF New York and Ohio
and Pennsylvania Tin the seventies
when grain from the Yves, teran pour
Ing 10 the Atlantic seaboard) and acted
upon the doctrine which the Interstate
Commerce Commission has enunchted
time and again. that no man may he
deprived Of the advantages accruiug 10
him 10y virtue Of his geographical po-
sition. We could not have west Of the
Mississippi population OF millions OF
great consumers We never should
have seen the years when we built
10000 and 1900 miles of railway, FOR
there would have been no farmers
west of the Mississipps River who
could have used the land that would
have been opened up 10y the building
OF those railways. And, II We had not
seen the years when we could build
10000 and 1900 miles OF railway
year, we should not nave today. east
OF the Mississippi. steel and iron
producing centre which is M once the
marvel and the despair OF Europe, be-
cause we could not have built up
steel and iron industry IL there had
been no market for its product.
I'VE could not have in New Eng.
land n great boot and shoe industry;
we could not have In New England
great cotton milling industry; we could
not have spread throughout New York
and Pennsylvania and Ohio manufac-
turing industries Of the most diyersi-
fed kinds, because those industries
would have no market among the farm
ers west OF the Mississippi River.
And, while the progress OF this
country, whine the development Of the
agricultural West of this country, did
mean the impairment Of the ngricul'
tural value east OF the Mississippi
River that ran up into hundreds Of
millions of dollars. II meant, Incl.
dentally, the building up Of great man
ufacturing Industries that added 10
the value OF this land 10y thousands of
millions OF dollars. And, gentlemen,
these things were not foreseen In the
seventies. The statesmen and the pub
lie men OF this country did not see
what part the agriculture. develop
mcnt OF the West was going 10 play In
the industrial development Of the East.
And, you may read the decisions OF
the Interstate Commerce Commission,
from the first 10 the last, and what In
one OF the greatest characteristics OF
those decisionsi The continued In
ability 10 see the question IN this large
way.
"The Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion never can see aEy Thing more than
that the farm land Of some farmer
IL decreasing in value, or, that some
man, who has -four mill with a pro
ductIon Of fifty barrels day, is being
crowded out. IL never can see that
the destruction or impairment Of farm
values In this place means the building
up OF farm values In that plnce, and
that that shifting Of values IN Deces'
sary incident To the industrial and man.
ufacturing development OF this coun'
try. And, IL we shall give 10 the Inter.
statctommerce Commission power TO
regulate rates, we shall no longer have
our rates regulated Oh the statesman.
like basis on which ,bey have been
regulated In the past ~ the railway
men, who really have ocen great states
men; who really have Eecn great build.
ers OF empires; who have had nn I'm
agination that rivals the Imagination
OF the greatest poet and OF the great
est inventor, and who have operated
with "A courage and daring that rivals
the courage and daring of the greatest
military general. But we shall have
our rates regulated by body OF civil
servants, bureaucra:s, whose besct-
ting sin the world over, IL that they
can never grasp II situation In large
way and with the grasp OF the states.
man; that they never can see the fact
that they are confronted with a small
evil; tGat that evil Is relatively small,
and that il cannot be corrected except
by the creation Of evils aud abuses
which are infinitely greater than The
one that is 10 be corrected"