The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-10-20
SLEDGE-
BLOW IS Dealt
Presidents Speech to North
Carolinans Is g. Bold De-
fiance to Railroads.
MUST BE CONTROLLED
No off; or Ands" in His Declaration
That Power Must Be Granted to
Secure Square Deal for
the Shipper, Too.

Charlotte, N. c.. Oct. 21.-The ova-
ton which President Roosevelt re-
ceived during his journey through a
portion of Virginia was continued as
he Travelled through North Carolina.
Beginning With his arrival at Raleigh
at 9 o'clock, he was greeted by cheering
crowds at Durham. Greensboro. High
Point, Lexington, Salisbury and Char
lotte, the demonstration in this city
being a fitting farewell of the citizens
of the old Tar Heel state.
Raleigh, N. c., Oct. 21.-President
Roosevelt and party arrived in this city
at $3.50 and were greeted by Lieutenant
Governor Winston and Mayor Johnson,
with a military escort and a citizens
committee. The party proceeded at
once to the state fair grounds. where
the president addressed the multitude.
Thousands of people greeted the pres
1dent at the station with a volley Of
cheers and these We're repeated again
md again as he passed along the
streets in a carriage, bowling to right
and left. and waving his hands in
greeting to little children. At the fair
grounds he said:
The extraordinary development ot in
dustrialism during the last half century
has been due to several causes, but above
all to the revolution III t1e HlclIOuS. VI
transportation and communication: that
Is, to steam and to electricity, to the
railroad and the telegraph.
When this government was touiidGd
commerce was carried on by essentially
the same instruments that had been III use
not only among civilized. but among bar
6awnaa =n nations % eyer Wishes s s y hisI9fy
drawn by animals, by pack trains, and by
sailing ships and roWboats.
The old laws and Old customs which
-, nln,1,a. 81 md ,>,,tTpI. TO 1nHPt tho old
conditions need radical readjustment in
order to meet these new conditions. The
cardinal features In these changed con-
highway, the railway. is, from the COM
mercial standpoint, Of Infinitely. greater
Importance IN our industrial life than was
second, that the new highway, the rail-
way, is in the hands OF private owners,
whereas the old highway, the Wagon road,
was in the hands of the state, The man
gemen of tho new highway, the railroad:
o. rather of the intricate web of railroad
lines which cover the country. Is a task in,
more important than the prinilirc.y easy
task of acquiring or keeping in order the
old highway: SO that there is properly
no analogy whatever lctwcen the two
lie Opposes Government Ownership
/ do not believe in government owner
ship of anything which can With proprictE
be left in private hands, and iii %particu-
lar | should most strenuously object to
government ownership OF railroads.
But | believe with equal firmness that IT
is out of the question for the government
not to exercise a supervisory, and ~rcsuia-
tarE right over the railroads; for it Is
Vital to the well-being Of the public thai =
fairness and justice toward all the public.
Actual experience has shown that it is
nos possible to leave the railroads "ncon-
lack Of system. is fertile in abuses OF ev-
cry kind. and puts a premium upon UNI
scrupulcus and ruthless cunning in rail
road management; for there are some big
sh .ppers and some railroad managers who
are always willing to take unfair advant-
aGe Of their weaker competitors. and tlley
thereby force other big shipper ami big
railroad men who would like to do de-
Gently into similar acts OF wrong and IN
justice. under penalty of being left be-
hind in the race for success.
Government supervision is rceied quite
n much in the interest of the big ship
per and of the railroad man who wants to
do right as in the interest of the small
shipper and the consumer.
What We Really Need.
Experience has shown that the present
laws are defective and need amendment
The effort to prohibit all restraint of com,
petition. whether reasonable or unreason.
able. Is unWise. What we need is to have
some administrative body with ample
power to forbid combination that is hurtfu
to the public and 20 prevent favoritism te
one individual at the expense of another
In other words, we want an administratiN
body with the power to secure fair ant
just treatment as among All shippers who
use the ruilroads-and ali shippers have
Il right to use them.
We must not leave the enforcement O
f:ch a law merely 10 the department. OF
Justice; it is out of the question for Tho
law department of the government to dc
what should be purely Administrative
work. The department Of justice is {
stand behind and cooperate with the ad
ministrative body. but the administrativ
body itself must be given the power tt
do the work and then held to a stric
accountability for the exercise of tina
power. The delays of the law are pro
Verbal, and what we need in this mates
is reasonable quickness of action.
Nature Of the Abuses.
The abuses OF which we have d genrint
right to complain take many shapes. Re
bates are not often given openly. Blu
they can be given just as effectively il
covert form; and private cars, tcrmina
tracks and the like must be brought undo
the control OF the commission or admins
trativc body. which is to exercise super
vision by the government.
BUT in my judgment the most importer
thing to do is to give to this administrative
body power to make it's findings effective
and this can be done only by giving !
power, when complaint is made of a givcl
rate as being unjust or unreasonable, il i
finds the complaint proper, then itself t.
fix Il maximum rate which it regards a
effect practically at once, that is within
reasonable time. and to stay in effect
unless reversed by the courts.
] earnestly hope that we shall see a Law
giving this power passed by congress
Moreover, I ope hat by iaw power will b.
conferred upon representatives OF the gov
eminent capable of performing the dut
of public accountants carefully to exam
inc into the books of railroads, when S
ordered by the Interstate commerce com
mission, which should itself have power t
prescribe what books, and what book
only, should be kept by railroads.
Need Right to Act Quickly.
Il there is In The minds Of the commits
sion any suspicion that a certain railroa
IS III any shape or way giving rebates o
behaving improperly. ! wish :!:a commits
E.oN to have power as q matter OF RICH,
ms rs a mater of favor. to make a flu
III exhaustive investigation OF the re
coi and expenditures of the railroad, s
til tny violation or evasion of the la,
Il. DO detected. This Is not d revolution
81 roposal on my part, for |. only wis
Il me power given in reference to raj
J., that.ts now exercised as a matter c
CO e by the national bank examiners a
T, rs national banks.
object in giving tfese additions
2, rs to the administrative body repre-
e. g the Eovernment--the Inte1stat
Ct cree commission or whatever it MA
be- IS primarily to secure a real and not
shan control to the government rcpr,
fentativcs. TIN American people abhor
eham, and with this adherence ! cordial
sympathizc.
Wants No Sham Law.
Nothing is more injurious from ever
x nH1nn{Of han a q w ht1 r. ~,o~a1