Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-07

lawmakers OF old could not foresee and
lherefore could not provide against. they
as to demand entirely new remedies. 1t
Is In the interest of the best type Of
railroad man and the best type of ship
! per no less than of the public that there
should be governmental supervision and
| regulation Of these great business oper-
atoms, for the same reason that it Is in
the ss,,i interest Ct the corporation which
liability act, or an effective system el Of
f MeeS aWs f the s,os abuse
ton frees the corporation. that wishes
to do we'll from being driven into do
ing III In order to compete with Its RI
to set up a moral standard. There can
| be no delusion more fatal to the nation
than the delHsion that the standard Of
/ fcient in Judging any business or polit-
| zeal 1uestion-from rate legislation to
municipal government. Business sue.
nation fs IS s0i gooa s thE ony eo f far
! as It IS accompanied by and develops
high standard of conduct-honor. integ
rity civic courage; The Kind Of business
honor, that puts an inordinate value on
mere wealth, that makes a man ruth
less and conscienceless in trade. and
good thing at ali, but very bad thing
for the nation. This government stands
Tor MANHOOD first and for business only
| as an aaJunct of manhood.
| Treat Great and Small Alike
The question Of transportation lies at
| the revolution in transportation which
has taken place during the last half
century. has been the most important
| trial conditions. Most emphatically we
| do not4 Wish to see the man, OF great
talents s,.! refused the reward for his tai
| penaliZed; but we do desire to see the
| system Of railroad transportation so
handled; that the strong man shall be
We wish to insure as fair treatment f 81
! the small town as for the big city; for
the small shipper as for the big ship.
per In the 9d days the highway Of
road on land, was open to all; 1t be-
longed to the public and the traffic along
! It was free. AT present the railway is
best,to seq that it is kept open to all
| on equal terms. Unlike the old high
| way 1t is very difficult .ond complex
that 1t . should Be anagea By private
! individuals than by the government. But
It can only be SO managed on condition
because h IN my i Judgment is pubic public own.
ership Of railroads is, highly undesirable
and would probably In this country en-
| tail far-reaching disaster, that I wish
| Of them in the interest of the public as
will make 1t evident that there is no
need for public ownership, The oppon,;,
upon the difficulties to be encountered
and the intricate and involved nature Of
the problem. Their contention is true.
lem, and all kinds Of difficulties are sure
| to arise In connection with any, plan OF
solution, while no plan will bring all
| the benefits hoped for by Its more opti-
! AdherentS Moreover.
healthy plan, the benefits will develop
gradually and not rapidly. Finally, we
servants who are to do this peculiarly
responsible and delicate work must
themselves be of the highest type both
as rgards integrity and efficiency They he,
men can not In the long run be secured;
and they must POSSESS lofty probity
which, will revolt as quickly at the
popular prejudice against rich men as
at the thought of anything even re-
motely resembling subseryie1cy to, rich
ment admit that these ANTIQUITIES war
rant us in stopping in our effort to Sc
cure a wise and lust system. They
us on to the exercise of the resolution,
the even-handed justice, and the fer
tiity of resource, which we like. to>think
of as typically American. and which
will in the end achieve good results In
this as in other fields of activity. The
task Is q great one and underlies the
trial problem. But the fact that 1t is
great problem does not warrant us in
shrinking from the. attempt to solve It:
w such hssel
| straintspof law, that excellent. men have
often been literally forced into doing
what they dssplored IT,, because otherwise
| scrupulous4 competitors. To rail at and
assail the men who have done as they
best could under such conditions ae-
is to develop an orderly system; and
| such a system can only come through
! the gradually increased exercise of the
right OF efficient government control.
Favors Block Signals
In my annual message to the Fifty
| eighth congress at its third session. I
called attention to the necessity for leg
islation requiring the use Of block sig
/ nails upon railroads engaged In Inter
state commerce. The number of serious
have occurred within the past year adds
/ force to the Recommendation then made.
| The congress should provide. by .appro-
PIRATE legislation, for the introd 5l Ls
gagged In Interstate commerce at3 the
/ earliest practicable date as a measure
of increased safety to the travelling pub
| lie.
Inspection Has Been Useful
| Through decisions of the supreme court
of the United States and the lower fed
! eral courts In cases brought before them
for adjudication the. safety appliance
law has been materially strengthened.
! and the government has been enabled
| to secure Its effective enforcement In
almost all cases, with the result that
the condition OF railroad equipment
proved and railroad employees perform
! their duties under safer conditions than
heretofore The governments most eff
/ fective aid in arriving at this result has
| been Its inspection service, and that
] these Improved conditions are not more
| general Is due to the insufficient num-
1 Der of inspectors employed The inspec-
| ton service has fully demonstrated Its
usefulness, and in appropriating for its
maintenance the congress. should make
! provision for an increase In the number
| of inspectors.
Some Trainmen Work Too Long
The excessive hours Of labor to which
railroad employees in train service are
in many, cases subjected is also mat
| ter which may we'll engage the serious
| attention of the congress. The strain,
| both mental and physical, upon those
who are engaged in the movement and
/ operation of railroad trains under mod
! Al "a ,arhn,~ for hon