Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-11-15


this country. and what impresses us
with more force than any side of the
issue is this:
Why have the railroad interests, in
particular, been selected for this at
tack? Why is the Interstate commerce
commission or some similar commits
sion not to be clothed with the same
absolute authority to fix the maximum
prices on beef. pork. oil. clothing, but
ter and eggs, etc,--in fact everything
which one mas to buy every day? 1t
seems to us that such step would be
infinitely more reasonable than this
proposed move on railroad rates be-
cause all of these and other cOmnlodi-
ties have advanced by leaps and bounds
and by methods which we all agree
would bear investigation while the gen.
eral average of railroad freight rates
has steadily decreased from cents per
ton Per mile, in 1870, down to u of
cent per ton per mile, today. and dur
| ing the past 10 years the railroad COM
panits have granted substantial wage
concessions to their employees and also
| dlneliOratcd labor conditions.
| THAT the railroads of the country
| have been enabled to reduce rates and
at the same time advance wages and
| spend large sums in the physical inn
| provementS Of their properties, is due
| to the reduction or elimination OF
| grades or curves etc. double capacities
| of cars. immensely increased hauling
| power Of locomotives and superior
| character of general service rendered,
| showing. in instances, an increase of
200 per cent. in train tonnage. We be-
| lieve that in this increase in earning
| power and economical management the
| limit has been reached. Therefore, We
| be Iieve that we take a fair and just
| view of the situation when we claim
| that TO national legislation should be
| adopted which shall tend, in any de-
| gree to interfere with or interrupt the
present or future prosperity of the rail-
road cmploye in this country"
In presenting the foregoing state
! mcnt Mr. Huntley. who is a conductor
on the Lake Shore & Michigan South
ern Railway. assured The President that
no faint of partisanShip or political col
| oring existed in any degree among the
| members of tie lclega ton, this free
dom from political bias forming lone of
| the fundamental principles in the rail-
road mems organizations represented.
The speaker declared with emphasis
that railroad employees were satisfied
that any legislation tending to reduce
the earning capacity of railroad lines
| will, in the same measure, interfere
with the prosperity ard generally sat
isfactory condition of the railroad en-
pIoyes.
Mr.. Huntlcy states that it had come
to he the attitude of the administration
and of prominent Republicans general
ly that when Il revision of the tariff is
made. the change should be by its
friends and not by its enemies.
I'VE suggest said Mr.. Huntley.
that q similar course be followed in
railway rate legislation
President Roosevelt. in his address.
said:
with most of the general state
ments that you make / agree. but am
not sure that | agree with your appli-
cation of them. There has been COM
paratively little complaint to me of
the railroad rates being as a whole
too high. The most serious complaints
that have been made to me have been
of improper discrimination in railroad
rates. For instance. in two recent
cases affecting great corporations the
complaints that have been made to
me have been that they are too low as
Regards certain big shippers, the COM
plant in both these cases is about the
ditferentiSh. the difference of treat
ment of two sets of users of the rail-
ways. the difference in favor of one
set of shippers as against another set
of shippers Whether this is just or
not, l am not prepared to say.
Il very deeply appreciate and SYM
pathize with the feeling you express
as to the community of interest between
the man who actually does the hand
ling of the trains, at the brakes, in
the engine cab. as a fireman, as con-
ductor and the man who has to do
as n capitalist or as the higher en-
ploye of the capitalist. with the gener-
lal management of the road. | feel
that one of the lessons that cannot
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