Milford chronicle., 1905-02-03
PRESIDENT ON
/ RATE ABUSES
Advocates Government Control to
Abolish Rebates.
JUSTICE FOR LITTLE SHIPPER

Philadelphia, Jan. 81. - Presiden.
Roosevelt was the guest of honor and
principal speaker at the 42d anniver-
sary banquet of the Union League.
The banquet room was a marvel Of
the decorators art. The national col
Ors predominated in the floral and
electrical effects, and the tables were
designated by letters in red, white and
blue, forming the name Roosevelt"
President Roosevelt occupied a seat
in the centre of the guests table, with
President E. T. Stotesbury, of the I'm
ion League, on his right, and United
States Senator Penrose on his left
Seated at the same table were former
Postmaster General Charles Emory
Smith, Congressman Bingham, Sur
geon General Rixey, Major General
Frederick D. Grant, Lieutenant Gen
eral S. B. M. Young, Governor Lea,
of Delaware; Governor Stokes, of New
Jersey, and Mayor Weaver, of this city.
When President Roosevelt arose to
make his address he was greeted with
long-continued applause. He said in
part:
This club was founded to uphold the
hands of Abraham Lincoln when he stood
as the great leader in the struggle for
union and liberty The principles which
Lincoln applied to the solution of the
problems of his day are those which we
must apply if we expect successfully to
solve the different problems of our own
day-problems which are so largely in
dustrial. Unquestionably the great de-
valoDTnanf Of induefrfalfen1 means that
there must be an increase in the super
vision exercised by the government over
business enterprises. This supervision
should not take the form of violent and
ill-advised Interference; and assuredly
there is danger lest it take such form if
the business leaders Of the business COM
munity confine themselves to trying to
thwart the effort at regulation instead of
guiding it Alright.
Neither this people nor any other free
people will permanently tolerate the use
of the vast power conferred by vast
wealth, and especially by wealth in its
corporate form, without lodging some |
where in the government the still higher
power of seeing that this power, in addi-
tion to being used in the interest Of the /
individual or individuals possessing it, is |
also used for and not against the inter- /
ests of the people as a whole. Our pecul- |
lar form Of government, a government in |
which the nation is supreme throughout |
the union in certain respects, while each |
Of nearly half a hundred states is su-
preme in its part of the union in certain .
other respects, renders the task of deal
ing with these conditions especially diff
cult. No finally satisfactory result can |
be expected from merely state action.
The action must come through the fed
eral government. The business Of the
country is now carried on in a way of
which tha founders a O11r constitution
could by no possibility have had any idea.
- Ill great business concerns are engag-
ed in interstate commerce and it was he
yond question the intention of the tOund- /
ers of our government that interstate /
commerce in all its branches and aspects /
should be under national and not state |
control. If the courts decide that this in /
tention was not carried out and made ef- /
fective in the constitution as it now .
stands, then in the end the constitution, !
If not construed differently, will have to |
be amended so that the original undOubt- |
ed intention may be made effective. But
a constitutional amendment is only to be |
used as a last resort if every effort of |
legislation and administration shall have /
been proved inadequate.
The railroad, which was utterly un-
known when our government was formed /
and when the great principles of our
jurisprudence were laid down has now
become almost everywhere the most inn
portant and only form of highway for
commerce. The man who controls its
use cannot be permitted to control it in
his own interest alone. 1t is not only
just but il is in the interest of the public
that this man should receive ample pay !
ment for the business capacity which en-
ables him to benefit himself while bene- !
fitting the public; but in return he must
himself recognize his duty to the public |
He will not and cannot do this II our
laws are so defective that in the sharp
competition of the business world the
conscientious man is put at a disadvan-
tage by his less scrupulous fellows. 1t is
in the interest of the conscientious and
public spirited railway man that there
should be such governmental supervision
of the railway traffic of the country as
to require from his less scrupulou COM
petitors and from INSCRIPTIONS big ship
pers as well, that heed to the public well
fare which he himself would willingly
give, and which is of vital consequence
to the small shipper. Every important
railroad is engaged in interstate COM
merce. Therefore, this control over the
railroads must come through the ma
tional government.
The control must be exercised by some
governmental tribunal, and it must be
real and effective.
The details must rest with the law
makers of the two houses of congress;
but about the principle there can be no
doubt Hasty or vindictive action would
merely work damage but in temperate.
resOlute fashion, there must be lodged in
some tribunal the power over rates and
especially over rebates-whether secured
by means of private cars. of private
tracks. in the form of damages or COM
missions. or in any other manner
which will protect alike the railroad and
the shipper, and put the big shipper and
the little shipper on an equal footing.
In some such body as the interstate
commerce commission there must be
lodged In effective shape the power to see
that every shipper who uses the rail-
roads and every man who owns or man
ages a railroad shall on the one hand be
given Justice and on the other hand be
required to do justice. Justice-so far as
It Is humanity possible to give and to get
5ustice-is the foundation Of our govern
ment. We are not trying to strike down
the rich man; on the contrary, we will
not tolerate any attack upon his rights.
We are not trying to give an improper
advantage to the poor man because he