Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-04-10
TALKED TO TEXANS.
PRESIDENT MAKES ADDRESS TO
LEGISLATORS.
Regulation of Railroad Rates the
Principal Topic Considered
Hopes for Pleasure of Appoint
ina Commission to Enforce
DEGREES.

San Antonio, Tex, April ,.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt made brief address
before joint session Of the Texas leg
islature, in the course of which he
said
"There are one or two things |
should like particularly to say in this
cham Der and to the members of the
Texas legislature. | received IA copy
of the resolution passed by your body,
introduced, | understand, by ex-Minis
ter Terrell, in reference to the passage
of the interstate commerce act. | wish
to thank you most heartily for what
You did.
81 think, Governor, and Mr.. Speaker
and Gentlemen, that the longer our ex-
perience in public Office is the more we
realize that at least 80 per cent, if not
more. in Importance of the work done
by any public officer who is worth his
salt has nothing whatever to do with
partisan politics. The things that con-
Germ us all as good citizens are inf
nitely larger than the matters concern
ing which we are divided one from an
tally our attitude in our foreign affairs
and in reference to foreign nations
must in the long run, if we are to be
successful as people be based on GER
tain common sense rules OF conduct,
the identical rules upon which every
self respecting citizen must base his
private actions. This is especially
true as regards all questions dealing
! with capital and labor; and especially
in dealing with the great aggregations
of capital usually to be found in corpo-
rate form through which so much of
our business at the present day is con-
Quoted.
Right to Regulate.
81 would like to say in brief just
what my position is as regards this
particular question with which | had
to deal and as regards which the Texas
legislature took the action l so much
appreciate.
con the whole there have been few
instruments in the economic develop.
ment OF the country which have done
more for the country than the railroads..
| do not wish in any shape or way to
interfere with the legitimate gain of
any of these great men whose special
industrial capacity enables them to
handle the railroads so as to be of
profit to themselves and of advantage
to all of us. | should be most reluct-
ant will put it stronger than that
| should absolutely refuse to be a par
ty to any measure, to any proposition
that interfered with the proper and
Legitimate prosperity of these men, and
| should feel that such measure was
aimed not only at them but at all of
us, tor an attack upon the legitimate
prosperity of any of us is in the long
run sure to turn into an attack upon
all. With that proviso (as to which |
ask you to remem Der that / mean lit.
orally every woid) let me further add
that the public has the right, not a
privilege, but in my view duty, to
see that there is in it's behalf exercised
such supervisionary and regulatory
power over the railroads as will insure
that while they give fair treatment
themselves they get it in return.
1.-The proper exercise of that power
is conditioned upon the securing of
proper legislation which will enable
the representatives of the public to see
that any discriminating rate is altered
so as to be just and fair rate, and is
altered Immediately.
Danger of Abuse.