Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-03-29
Han Who Was a Factor In a
Better Understanding Comes
To Salt Lake
!. \. MADDy OF ERIE IN UTAH.
ulll be Entertained by Press asd
Commercial Clubs stsry Of
His Work.

T. II. Maddy, occupying ptiNale
AR OF the Erie, Is due to come in with
. marty of friends on Rio Grande No.
This afternoon Every newspaper
man In the country knows Mr.. Maddy,
4 not personally, by reputation. To
he more precise, Mr.. Maddy Is the AL
frpd barlow of the Erie.
There used to be a time when the at
utude Of the railroads towards the
newspapers was not 80 cordial as IL now
is In those days the officials deemed
It rank impertlnence on the part OF a
reporter to seek to acquire lnforma-
tIon regarding accidents, traffic con-
ditlons and earnings. When remind-
ed that newspapers were just az neces-
sary ms railroads in this enlightened
age, and that the public had right
10 be informed OF the true state OF
Affairs the reporter generally got sat
down on for his temerity good and
hard The result was that the reporter
would print every rumor that he heard
land sometimes more besides, throw
ing IN good measure as balm for his
outraged feelings. Under such condl-
tons this sort Of reporting after awhile
got upon tho nerves Of the railroad au7
thoritlcs and double guards were placed
IN Offices 10 see that the newspapermaf1
did not gain access to the officials,
One reason why the railroads did ot
appreciate the attitude OF the news
papers In the desire to print the legit-
mate news was that none Of the Off
cals or employees had ever been re-
portcrs or editors. All this has been
changed now and practically every big
railroad system has q former newspa-
perman In Its employ AS Advertising
and publicity man who sees that his
road is kept before the public and when
disaster does strike, his personal In
fuence Is a great factor In heading
any yellow and distorted accounts H.
might appear and give the road some
unwelcome advertising.
The man W o has exerted the great
est influence In establishing more COR
dial relations between the railroads and
the press is probably j. II. Maddy, who
arrives here this afternoon, for eight
years the special representative OF the
Baltimore and Ohio, and now acting in
the same capacity for the Erie Mr..
Maddy had been the managing editor
Of the Cleveland World, and had also
been connected with one OF Chlcago's
big dallies. when in 1896, he was engag-
I'd to take charge of the new publicity
department. of the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad. One OF his first acts was to
send out an official circular to oil the
employees OF the company requesting
them TO give the newspaper men full
Information about any accidents that
might happen on the road and such
other facts as the public was entitled to
know The effect of this order was TO
almost Immediately change the hostile
attitude " the press to one OF tolerance,
and In many cases hearty support
CAMPAIGN OF EDUCATION.
Since his appointment to the Erie he
has been engaged IN a campaign OF ed
ucatlon on railroad rates, a subject
which has specially engaged public and
legislative attention during the past
winter He believed that the attitude Of
the newspapers which was In a large
measure hostile to the railroads, was
due to ignorance rather than TO malice,
and that II the editors were Informed
as to the real facts, they would see
their error and recede from their posi-
ton In speaking to a representative OF
NeWspaperdom on the subject recent
" Mr. Maddy said;
When one undertakes TO change
great public clamor, he has more or
less OF job on his hands. When we
started TO prove to the people that gov
ernment rate-maklng was not good for
lhe commercial prosperity Of the coun-
Try, there were mighty few editors who
were Of that trend OF mind, The agita-
ZION had been famed by political dis
ousslon, local railroad abuses and the
Efforts OF organizations TO whom low
er rates meant increased profits,
AS a matter OF fact, not one editor
IN thousand knew what he was ad-
'ocatlng. He had a general idea that
al railroads paid rebates to all large
shippers; that the railroads were the
packers Of the private car lines, and
mat q carload shipper paid more than
a Train load shipper, He did not know,
nor could he be expected to, that rates
are lhterdependent, made and unmade
Dy The law Of supply and demand, and
,hat nigh rates throtted business and
low rates encouraged It.
Many mistakes of fact were made
ana there was exhibited woeful ignor-
ahce on the subject Of present rate reg
uhtlng laws. Assertions were made
'"NaN'aN hANFiff ~ lNHhANf AiOHl
statements that had no foundation. In
lact the subject was most extensively
written about, and all sorts Of things
mixed up. II was said that to let the
Interstate commerce commission make
we rate would stop discrimination, re-
oSS'e paying, private car line abuses and
az 9thel things that needed attention"
how did you get at III"
4, oent out story after story showing
he law the real conditions, and maxi
W. nothing but statements Of fact In
we nrst place the public did not de-
mand that the rate-maklng power be
sEen To the interstate commerce COM
MISSION 1t thought that there was no
rglress for determinations There is
pvnV OF law on this line, Rebate
bs.flns ana receiving is a misdemeanor.
rnVmc car lines are not within the
jurisdiction OF the Interstate Com
Netee Act, and charged TO terminal