Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-10-31
ROOSEVELT ON
THERAILROADS
The Notable Speech Made by Him
During His Recent Visit to Ra-
leigh, North Carolina.
NO GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
The President Does Not Believe In
lt-So Far a. Railroads Are
Concerned.

Voo0AA6COus OCI. OV."0oIuuci 0p0u.
Ger, president Of the Southern rail-
road, made a brief stop in Washing
ton last night. In expressing his views
on President Roosevelt's speech on
railroad rate legislation at Raleigh,
N. c., Mr.. Spencer said:
"The presidents speech indicates
that he is not disposed now to in
sist that the power over rates which
he favors should be exercised by the
interstate commerce committee, but
by an administrative body. Again in
the Raleigh speech, the president ad.
vocates that the administrative body
shall have power, after complaint and
hearing, to fix only maximum rate,
not an absolute rate, unalterable there
after by the carrier as provided for
in the Esch-Townsend BILL
President Roosevelt speech at Rae
leigh, SO far as it dealt with the rail.
road question, was as follows:
Il do not believe in government
ownership of anything which can with
propriety be left in private hands
and in particular l should most siren.
uously object to government owner
ship OF railroads. But believe with
equal firmness that it is out of the
question for the government not to
exercise supervisory and regulatory
right over the railroads; for it is vi.
tai to the we'll being of the public
that they should be managed in a spir-
1t of fairness and justice toward all
the public.
Must be Controlled.
Actual experience has shown that
1t is not possible to leave the rail-
roads uncontrolled. Such system,
or rather such lack of system, is
fertile in abuses of every kind, and
puts a premium upon INSCRIPTIONS
and ruthless cunning in railroad man.
agement; for there are some big ship
pers and some railroad managers who
are always willing to take unfair ad-
vantage of their weaker competitors,
and they thereby force other big ship
pers 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 do right as in the
interest of the small shipper and the
consumer.
Laws Are Defective.
Experience has shown that the
present laws are defective and need
q M dino Nhn ~pk 1t l@s
all restraint of competition, whether
reasonable or unreasonable, is unwise.
What we need is to have some ad-
ministrative body with ample power
to forbid combination that is hurtful
to the public, and to prevent fav-
Oritism to one individual at the ex.
pense of another.
I'm other words, we want an ad-
ministrative body with the power to
secure fair and just treatment as
among all shippers who use the rail-
roads-and all shippers have a right
to use them.
1--WE must not leave the enforce.
ment of such law merely to the de-
partment of justice; it is out of the
question for the law department of the
government to do what should be
purely administrative work. The de.
partment of justice is to stand behind
and cooperate with the administra,
tive body. but the administrative body
itself must be given the power to dc
the work and then held to strict
accountability for the exercise of that
power. The delays of the law are
proverbial, and what we need in this
matter is reasonable quickness of &C
ton.
1.-THE abuses of which we have a
genuine right to complain take many
shapes. Rebates are not now often
given openly. But they can be Civ
en- just as effectively in covert form
and private cars, terminal tracks and
the like must be brought under the
control of the commission or admin
istrative body, which is to exercise
supervision by the government.
Important Thing to Do.
"But in my judgment, the most i'm
portant thing to do is to give to this
administrative body power to make
it's findings effective, and this can be
done only by giving it power when
complaint is made of given ate as
being unjust or unreasonable, if II
finds the complaint proper, then Itself
to fix maximum rate which it re
CARDS as just and reasonable, this
rate to go into effect practically al
once, that is, within reasonable time
and to stay in effect unless reversed
by the courts.
81 earnestly hope that we shall SEE
a law giving this power passed b.
congress. Moreover, l hope that b!
law mower will he conferred uDOr
representatives of the government
capable of performing the duty of pub
lie accountants carefully to examine
into the books of railroads, when 81
ordered by the interstate commerce.
commission, which should itself hav'
power to prescribe what books, ant
what books only. should be kept b.
railroads. If there is in the minds
of the commission any suspicion tina
a certain railroad is in any shape o
way giving rebates or behaving i'm
properly, l wish the commission Il
have power as a matter of right, no
as a matter of favor, to make a full
and exhaustive investigation of tn
receipts and expenditures of the rail
road. so that any violation or eva
sion of the law may be detected.
Not Revolutionary.
This is not revolutionary pre-
posal on my part, for only wish tn
same power given in reference to rail
roads that is now exercised as mat
ter of course by the national bank ex
aminers as regards national banks
My object in giving these additions
powers to the administrative body
representing the gOyernment-thein