The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-05
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
tcontinued from Page one5

ours SHAT large shipments Of interstate
traffic Sre controlled by concessions on
purely state business. which OF course
amounts 20 an evasion of the law. The
commission should have power to en-
LorCe fair treatment by the great trunk
lines OF lateral and branch lines.
Quick Work Needed.
I urge upon the congress the need of
providing for expeditions action by the
interstate commerce commission in all
these matters whether in regulating
rates for transportation or for storing
or for handling property or commOdi-
ties in transit. The history Of the cases
utigated under the present commerce
act shows that its efficacy has been to
great degree destroyed by the
weapon of delay, almost the most for
midable weapon in the hands of those
whose purpose it is to violate the law.
Let me most earnestly say that these
recommendations are not made in any
spirit Of hostility to the railroads. On
ethical grounds, on grounds of right,
such hostility would be intoIerable; and
on grounds Of mere rational self-in-
terest we must remember that such hos
Utility would tell against the welfare not
merely OF some few rich men, but of a
multitude Of small investors, q multi
9ude Of railway employees. Wage-WorlS-
err; and most severely against the in
terest Of the public as a whole. I be-
heve that on the whole our railroads
have done we'll ana not i'll; but the rail-
road men who wish to do we'll should
not be exposed to competition with
those who have no such desire, and the
only way to secure this end is to give
TO some government tribunal the power
TO see that Justice is done by the unWill-
ang exactly as it is gladly done by the
willing. Moreover, II some government
body is given increased power the effect
will be to furnish authoritative answer
on behalf Of the railroad whenever ira
tional clamor against it is raised, or
whenever charges made against 1t are
disproYed- 7 ask his legislation not
only I'm the interest of the public but in
the interest of the honest railroad man
and the honest shipper alike, for it Is
they who are CHIEFLY jeoparded by the
practices Of their dishonest competitors.
This legislation should be enacted in
spirit as remote as possible from hys-
terra and ra1cor. If we Of the Anerl-
can body polite are true to the tradi
tons we have inherited we shall always
scorn any effort to make us hate any
man because he is rich. just as much as
we should scorn any effort to make Us
look down or treat contemptuously any
man because he is poor We judge a
man by his cOnduct-that is. by his
chamberlain not by mis- wealth or
intellect. If he makes his fortune hon
estly, there is no just cause of quarrel
with him. Indeed. we have nothing but
AAAAA@--AeH7-
the successful business man who be
HAYES decently, whether he has made
his success by building or managing a
railroad or by shipping goods over that
railroad. The big railroad men and big
shippers are simply Americans of the
ordinary type who have developed TO an
extra ordinary degree certain great bust
ness qualities. They are neither better
nor worse than their fellow-citizens Of
smaller means.
b raa4s zs=sHr .
tain lines and therefore exposed to
certain peculiarly strong temptations.
These temptations have not sprung
newly into being: the exceptionally
successful among mankind nave al
ways been exposed to them; but they
have grown amazingly in power as a
result of the extraordinary develop
ment Of industrialisn along new lines
and under these new conditions, which
the IaWma kers of old could not lore
see and therefore could not provide
against, they have become so serious
and menacing as to demand entirely
new RENE dies. Tt is in the interest OF
the best type Of railroad man and the
best twpe Of shipper no less than of
the public that there should be gov
ernmentaI supervision and regulation
OF these great business operations. for
the same reason that it is in the inter
est OF the corporation which wishes to
treat its employees Alright that there
should be an effective employers La
biIity act. or an effective system OF
factory laws to prevent the abuse OF
women and children. All such legls-
1ation frees the corporation that
wishes to do we'll from being driven
into doing i'll, in order to compete
with it's rival. which prefers to do i'll
We desire to set up moral standard
There can be no delusiOn more fatal
to the nation than the delusion that
the standard Of profits, of business
prosperity, is sufficient in judging any
business or political question-from
rate legislation to municipal govern
nent. Business success whether for
the individual or for the nation, is q
good thing only SO far as it is accom-
panied by and develops high stand
ard Of conduct-honor, integrity, civic
courage. The kind of business pros
perity that blunts the standard OF
honor, that puts an inOrdinate value
on mere wealth. that makes a mar
ruthless and constituencies in trade
and weak and cowardly in citizenship
As not a good thing at all, but very
bad thing for the nation. This govern
ment stands for manhood first and for
business only as an adjunct Of man
hood
The question of transportation lies at
the revolution in transportation which
has taken place during the last half
century has been the most important
factor ia the growth of the new indus
trial conditions. Most emphatically we
do not wish to see the man of great
talents refused the reward for his tall
ents. Still less do we wish to see him
penalized; but we do desire to see the
system Of railroad transportation sc
handled that the strong man shall be
given no advantage over the weak man
We wish to insure as fair treatment fOl
the small town as for the big city; IOI
the small shipper as for the big shipper
In the old days the highway of com
rlerce. whether by water or by road
On land, was open to all; il belonged &c