The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1905-05-25
RAILROADS AND PROGRESS

In his testimony before the senate
committee on interstate commerce at
Washington on May 4, Prof Hugo r.
Meyer Of the Chicago university, an
expert on railroad management, made
this statement.
Let as look az Ehsf might have
happened Il We had Needed the pro
tests Of the farmers Of New York and
Ohio and Pennsylvania Gin the TO's.
when grain from the west began pour.
ing 70 the Atlantic seaboard). and
acted upon the doctrine which the in
terstate commerce commission has
enunciated time and again that no
man may be deprived Of the Ad-
vantsges aecruing To him By virtue
OF his geographical position. We could
not have e Of the Mississippi q
population Of millions Of people Who
are prosperous and are great con
sumers. We neye should have seen
the years when ve built 10000 and
1900 miles Of railway, for there
would have been no farmers west Of
the Mississippi river who could have
used the land that would have been
opened up by the building o. those
railways. And ~ we had Dot seen the
yesrs when we could build 10000 and
$4,000 miles Of railway q year, we
should 20 have today east Of the
Mississippi a steel and iron produc
ing center. which Is at once the mar
vel and the despair OF Europe. because
We could not have built up q steel and
iron industry II there lad been no
market for its product
We could d have in New England
a great boot and shoe Industry: We
could not have IN New England a
great cotton milling Industry: We.
could o have spread throughout New
York and Pennsylvania and Ohio man.
ufaeturing industries q the most d.
versihed kinds. because those indus
tries would have no market among
the farmers west Of the Mississippi
river.
And while the progress q this
country. while the development Of
the agricultural west OF this country,
did meal the impairment OF the az
reultural value east q the Mississippi
river, that ran up into hundreds o.
millions OF dollars, il meant incident
ally the building up % great manu-
featuring industries that added 90 the
value Of this land by thousands OF
millions of collars And. gentlemen.
those things we're BOT f~oreseen IN the
7o'a The statesmen Aed the public
men OF this country aid not ses What
part the agricultural development q
the west was going Z % play IN the IN
custriAl development 81 the east. And
you may read the decisions Of the
interstate commerce commission from
the nrst 10 the last and what Is one
Of the greatest eharReteristics o. those
decisionsf The continued inability 10
sec the question In this large way.
Tho interstate commerce commits.
tion never can see anything mere
than that the farm land q some farm.
a. 10 decreasing in value. or that some
mar Who has a hour min With a PRO
ductiou ~ any barrels a day is be
inE crowded out X never can Sc
that the Destruction or impairment 81
farm values IN this place means the
building up OF farm values IN tat
place. and that that shifting % values
is a necessary incident 70 the ineus-
Trial and manufacturing aeveiopment %
this country. And n We shall give
20 the interstate oommeroa ooHmis-
zion power to regulate rates. Ne shah
10 longer have our rates regulated
on the statssmanlike basis ca Shieb
they have been regulated Ia the past
BY the railway men. Who really have
been great statesmen. Who really have
been great builders % empires Who
have had an Imagination that rivals
the Imagination % the greatest poet
and o. the greatest Inventor. and Who
have operated with a courage and Car
ing that rivals the courage and Oar
ins Of the greatest military general
But We shall hsve eur rates regulated
by a body % civil ~servsnts. h0rean.
Gratis whose hesetting sin the world
"a that they never can grasp a
Situation In q large way and With the
grasp Of The statesman; that theY
never can see the fact that they are
confronted with a small evil: that
that evil Is relatively small and hat
q cannot BE- corrected except ~ The
creation u evils and abuses which
are Infinitely greater than The one
hat 10 20 Be corre1tcd