Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-03-16
WILCOX SPEAKS In OPPOSITION
ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS OF VA
RIous STATES, HE SAYS, IS
ONLY REMEDY.
DEFENDS THE POLICY
THE BIG DRAINED RAILROAD MAN
HAS HIS OPPORTUNITY
NOW.

NOW.
Boston, March 1.-THE president S
railroad policy" was the general sub.
Ject OF discussion at a dinner of the
Economic club Of Boston last night.
The principal speakers were Judge
Grosscup of Chicago, President David
Wilcox of the Delaware & Hudson
River Railroad company and Inter-
state Commerce Commissioner Chas
A. Prouty. They commented at length
upon President Roosevelt's views re-
garding the regulation of interstate
commerce rates. Mr.. Prouty defend
ed the proposed national legislation,
and referring to the criticism that leg.
islators were not always competent
business men, said that, while an
amount of expert opinion was neces.
sary, the questions requiring good
judgment were not difficult of compre-
hension by on accustomed to hearing
them.
Mr.. Wilcox vigorously opposed the
interference of the government in the
rate question, and declared it impos-
sible for small body Of men at Wash
ington properly to dictate what the
railroad rates of the country shall be.
The existing remedy, he said, was an
effectual enforcement of the laws of
the various states.
Rights Of Individual.
Judge Grosscup said in part:
"After all is said it is the Individual
man at the head of his family that is
the determining unit of any govern.
ment that is to remain republican;
and the only atmosphere in which the
individual man will continue to grow
to full civic maturity is that which
opens up to him in all directions the
avenues to meusurably successful
life. True, men are not born with the
same faculties. Some are born with
brain fitted to orgacize great enter
prises; some with talent to hold to-.
gether and drive forward enterprises
already organized; some with ability
to successfully do only small things in
small way; the great majority OF us
with skill only to do that which is
given us to do. But no man knows.
until after fair trial, what place is his.
And in the atmosphere of equal condi-
tons alone will he find his opportunity
for fair trial.
81 have on other occasions pointed
out that the present corporation policy
of this country that makes the pro-
prietorship in the country's
Corporate Property impossible,
except to those skilled in so-called
methods of finance, is the great bar
across the door to individual opportu-
nifty.
"a railroad policy that selects one
person from among all the people of
a community that he alone may sur
vive; or one community from all the
communities, that it alone may pros
per- Is a heavy bolt on that door. Both
policies create individual cases of
wealth. But it is not wealth founded
on merit. 1t is wealth, rather, by
hlA9 plCloSoolLRS, IhS Ii % NhIcRS,i-
loaning the seal of the state to enter.
prises that often the conscience of the
state would spurn; and the second, by
using the toll gates on our great high
ways to bar out all who do not bring
to the gatekeeper the password of in
fuence.
"The new nation, now rising, will
| L r. \, - II
of the new nation the industrial com
mand is: Go forth, increase and null
tiply; and it is the first business Of
the nation TO see to it that this com
nand be given the equal conditions
on which alone it can be fulfilled.
Nations Reserve Power.
"The big Drained railroad man has,
it seems to me. his hour of opportu-
nifty now. Let him insist that there
shall be no confiscation OF his prop
erty or no arrangement of control or
supervision that in the long run will
amount to confiscation. Behind him,
on such an issue, the country will be
found to stand.
"But let him recognize also that in
the nation there resides the reserve
power of supervision and control, a
power that the nation must exercise
in the interest of equal citizenship;
and let him join our president in es.
tablishing tribunal through whom
the nations power can be honestly
but at all times promptly and ade-
quately, exercised.
THAT will bring peace, with justice.
No other peace would last"