Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1905-05-10
Given a Hearty Welcome at Capital
of Colorado.
SPOKE ABOUT RATES
Chief Executive Holds That 1t Is the
Right and Duty Of Legislatures
to Confer Supervisory Pow
er Over Carriers.

rived al the union station promptly on
time. $50 p. m, Monday. The presi-
dent was taken in hand by President
Temple of the chamber of commerce,
the governor and mayor. and. sur
rounded by a score OF local detectives
went hurriedly through the arched en-
trance to the station. The presidential
party arrived at the Brown Palace no.
tel at o'clock. For an hour and a
quarter the president was in retire
ment in his rooms, hastily looking over
important communications and con-
sulting with Secretary Loeb. At 7:15
he received the members of the Pres.
club in his rooms. and was admitted as
an honorary member of the club. A
reception of the guests OF the banquet
was held, and the president then en-
tered the banquet room.
The president made an address. Aft
er discussing various questions OF in
terest, particularly to Colorado. he
president took up the subject of rail-
road rate legislation in part. as fol-
lows: Il want to say word as to
governmental policy In which feel
that the whole country ought to take
a great interest, and which is itself
but part of general policy Into
which ! think our government must
go. I proposed a policy of extending
the powers of the Interstate commerce
commission and of giving them partic-
ularly the power to fix rates, and to
have the rates that they fix go into ef
feet practically at once. As I say. that
represents in my mind pat of what
should be the general policy of this
country. the policy of giving. not to the
state, but to the national government,
an increased supervisory and regula-
tory power over corporations.
1.-THE first step and, to my mind, the
most important step. Is connected with
giving such power over great trans--
portation corporations of this country.
The necessity as regards that Is pecu-
liarly evident. was going to say
when the first pioneers came to Colo
RADIO, but that would hardly be so, but
In the days of the fathers of the older
among you, the highways Of commerce
for civilized nations were what they
had always been--that is. waterways
and roads. Therefore, they were open
to all who chose to travel upon them.
Within the last two generations we
have seen system grow. up which.
under the nesetlaoads yer, s fferayyiaeafi
highway OF commerce is. Of course the
railroad. Therefore, under this chang
ed system, we see highways of COM
merce grow up. each OF which is con-
trolled by a single corporation or indi-
vidual, sometimes several of them be-
ing controlled in combinations. corpo-
rations or a few individuals. When
such is the case, in my judgment. II Is
absolutely necessary that the nation,
or the state, cannot possibly do II,
should assume supervisory and regu-
latory function over the great corpora
lions which practically control the
highways of commerce.
Now fix clearly in your minds two
facts at the outset. AS with everything
else mundane. when you get that su-
pervisory and regulatory power on be-
half of the nation you will not have
cured all the evils that existed, and you
will not equal the expectations of the
Unable but ill-regulated enthusiast
who thinks that you will have cured all
those evils. A measure of good will
come. Some good will be done, some
injustice will have been prevented, but
we shall be long way from the mil
lenium. Get that fact clear in your
minds or you will be laying up for
yourselves a store of incalculable dis
appointment in the future. That is the
first thing.
Now the second, and the more i'm
portant: When you give a nation that
power. remember that harm. and not
good. will come from the giving. I'm
less you give II with the firm determi-
nation not only to get Justice for your
selves, but to do justice to others: that
you will be as jealous to do justice to
the railroads as to exact justice from
them. You cannot afford. in any shape
or way, In this country to encourage a
feeling which would do injustice to a
man of property any more than we
would submit to injustice from a man
OF property. Whether the man owns
the biggest railroad or the greatest out
side corporation in the land or wheth-
er he makes each days bread by the
sweat of that days toll, he Is entitled
to justice and fair dealing; no more
and no less.
I'VE must make up our minds that
nothing but harm will come from any
scheme to exercise such supervision
as to that which | advocate over ccr-
poratons. unless we have II already
fixed in our minds that the scheme is
TO be one of substantial justice alike
to the common carrier and to the pub
lie If l have the appointment or re-
tention of any commission and power
TO administer a law of such increased
powers 1 shall neither appoint nor re-
tain the man who would fail TO do
justice to the railroad any more than
l would appoint or retain the man who
would fell to exact justice from the
railroad. / want that understood as
a preliminary; that is. II ] have the
appointment OF any of those men, or
their retention. they will give a square |
deal all around. or else their shift will
be cut short But with that statement
as a preliminary. I wish to urge with |
all the eagerness / possess. not only |
upon the public, but upon those inter |
ested in the great railway corporations. |
the absolute need of acquiescence in |
the enactment Of such a law. AS has |
been set forth by the attorney general. |
Mr.. Moody In his recent mastery ar
gument presented to the committee OF