The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-05-24
WEDNESDAY. MAY "A. 1905
RAILROAD DISSEMINATION
AND HOW they OPERATE
President Roosevelt Will Seek to
Remedy the Evils-His Attitude
Toward Chicago Strikers.


reply to the striking teamsters, the
absolute lack of anything suggestive
Of demagoguery, his insistence that
the law must be obeyed and that
order must be preserved. and his as
sertion, made at the 1roquois club
of Chicago. that the state was behind
Mayor Dunno and the nation behind
the state, the president has dis
armed his enemies and made giant
stride toward the accomplishment Of
that legislation which he regards as
essential to the proper control Of the
railroads of the country. He has
left NO opportunity for men to say
that he Is revolutionary, or that he
is playing for effect" and his
recommendations must be received
as the sincere lelief of a man who is
honest and fearless beyon all ques-
ton. As there prevails considera-
BILE confusion regarding the reforms
which the president hopes to effect
and the evils he seeks to remedy.
somewhat detailed explanation Of the
situation seems appropriate for
for those letters particularly, as
most of this information has been
gained in personal conversation with
the president himself.
There are two distinct evils which
the president seeks to remedy. The
greater is the absolute domination by
individuals or corporations, or COM
binations of corporations. Of the
great highways of commerce, those
ironed highways commonly called
railroads. Only an exercise of the
authority of the state Cor govern
ment) makes possible the acquire
ment Of rights Of way and the con-
demnation of private property under
the legal principle Of eminent do
main. When constructed these rail-
roads constitute natural monopolles
and only bv the exercise of govern
mental regulation and supervision
over these monopolies can they be
prevented from working injustice to
the people from whom they derive
their right to exist. They are not
private property, such as wages,
bread or other commodities. as has
been claimed by prominent railroad
men. II they were the government
could not properly seek to supervise
and control them. Such supervision
over private property would be So
the right Of way of railroad belongs
to the people, can never properly be-
come the property Of an individual,
and its administration is merely
delegated to those who manage the
railroad, always with the reserved
right on the part Of the government
to exercise over it such regulation
and supervision as may be necessary
to protect the peoples rights. The
right to fix maximum rates for
freight and passenger transportation
"hASA VAC PlOcAuCAt uuNOCdIcS, WOuIu
amount to concrete assertion by
congress of the right of the people
to control their own.
OF lesser Importance, although
potential for great evil, is the con-
crete practice Of certain. perhaps all,
railroads. Of granting special privi-
leges. rebates, ETC., to certain indi-
,yidials as against other individuals.
The specific terms for these practices
are rebates, differentials, long haul
differentials, the private car system,
milling in transit rates, the Midnight
rate and probably some others. Re-
bates can probably be effectually pre-
vented under the Elkins law. They