The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-15
Roosevelt Talks to Rail-
 road EmplOycS.
4 PROTEST TO PRESIDENT
Executive Takes Occasion to
 Tell His Intentions
Has Nc More Ides Of sst.s un1s1e Tewara The Csnns. carrSsrs Than Toward the c.ua-
 try's shipssrs.

protest was made to the President fc- day against proposed railroad freight
 rate, legislation.
 Tho protest was filed by repressnta- tives Of the i've great labor orKanixa-
 tions connected with railroads---the e1,- sineers. fremen. conductors, swftch- men and trafnmen. The members 1f the delegation which called on the President represented the several or i ganfxations l rate legislation logically meant { fiIe lowering of rates. This they contend- cd will be followed by q iessenlnr of the earning power of railroads ana consequently by reduction eventualiy of the wages of railroad employees
 President Roosevelt replied that it was not his intention to recommend Congressional action which would in- 1 jure the railroads said:
 Answer ef the President.
 Gentiemen: Tn the first place trust need hardly say that no dcle-. sation will be ever be more welcor,.a at the White House. than such A dele- gatfon as this. As I said the ofher day to the representatives of orxar- ized labor at Atlanta. shall do everv- tninG Tn my power for the laborinn men except to do anything wrong.
 Remember always that every man or you must in some shape or other have his tassions and capacities rcv- erned, and the less of that governn,eut | there IS from within. the more there will have to be from without. :. With most of the general sfaxA. ments that you make. agree, but ' N am not sure that I agree with vnx,5s application of them There has hanys comparatively little complaint to nae of the railroad rates being as a whole too high. The most serious conplaint that has been made 10 me has been of Improper discrimination in railroad rates. s5 M ,' Fayoritism The Trenh,e. Fer instance. In two recent canes sHecting great ccrporations. fhc corn have been that ffef arc .fl,o, iow e- regards certain bik snippersj the cosr,-s plaint in both these Gassa is ahes,f the diRerential. the dffference Of trea4- ment of two sets of users of the rail- ways, the difference in favor of one set of shippers. Whether this is tust or not am not prepared to say
 If you will look at my Raieieh. speech and my other recent Sutterancsa you will see my principles clearly set forth. have said again and again that I would not tolerate for one mos ment any injustice to railroad any more than I would tolerate any in- Justice by a railroad. have said again and again that I would remove d public official who improperly Yielded to any public clamor against q rail- road, no matter how popular that clamor might be. just as quickly as [ would remove public official who rendered an improper service to the railroad at the expense of the public.
 'But I am convinced that there must be an increased regulatory and super visory power exercised by the Govern~ ment over the railways.
 Over CapftaIization of Railroads.
 Indeed. I would like to exercise to a much greater extent than have any idea of pressing at the moment For instance. would greatly like to have 1t exercised in the matter of oveF- capitalization. I am convinced that the wage fund would be larger if there was no fictitious capital on which dividends had to be paid need hardly say that this does not mean hostility to wealth. If you gentlemen here, in whom believe so strongly. were all . unit in demanding that some improper action should be taken against cer-t tain men of wealth, then no matter whether I did or did not like those same men of wealth. would defend them against you. no matter how much cared for you, and in so doing I, would really be acting in your own in- terest.
 q would be false to your interest if I failed to do justice to the capitalist as much as to the wage worker. But I shall act against the abuses of wealth just as against all other abuses. The outcry against rate regulation is of much the same character as that en- countered whom I was engaged In put ting through that coupling business: or In endeavoring to secure legislation in which you all have been interested--- such as the employers' libility law.
 VIII Not Hourt Raiiroa&s.
 Most certainly I will join with you In resisting to the utmost any move nent to hurt or damage any railroad which acts decently, for would hold that such damage was not merIy to the capitalist. not merely to the worker engaged on the railroads, but to all he country. My aim Is to secure the ust and equal treatment Of the public y those q trust and believe c limited iumber) woh do not want to kivs it ust as much as by the larger number who do want to give 1t.
 "All I want in any rate iegislation s to give the government an efficient supervisory power which shall be ex- ,racised as scrupulousiy to prevent ir- ustice to the railroads as to prevent heir doing injustice to the public. Our is to see that those big rafl- cad men and big shippers who are not responsible to the demands of justice. ire required to do what their fellows vho are responsive to the demands of ustice would be glad to do of their Iwn accord"