The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-12-09

f'x given maximum rate, which, rate, after
the lapse Of reasonable time, goes INTO
full effect, subject to review BY the courts.
0upsrvision o. Private Car 1ines.
All private car lines, industrial roads, re-
frigerator charges, and the like should be
expressly put under the supervision OF the
Interstate commerce commission, or some
similar body, 20 far as rates and agree-
ments practically affecting rates, are con-
cerned. The private car owners and the
owners OF Industrial railroads are entitled
to fair and reasonable compensation on
their investment, but neither private cars
nor Industrial railroads nor spur tracks
should be utilized as devices for securing
preferential rates. A rebate in icing charges,
or In mileage, or In division OF the rate
for refrigerating charges Is just as per-
nicious as a rebate in any other way. No
lower rate should apply on goods imported
than actually obtains on domestic goods
from the American seaboard to destination
except in cases where water competition Is
the controlling influence.
Publicity for hallway Accounts.
There should be publicity of the accounts
of common carriers; no common carrier en-
gagged in interstate business should keep any
books or memoranda other than those re-
ported pursuant to law or regulation, and
these books and memoranda should be open
to the inspection of the government. Only
in this way can violations or evasi0ns of the
law be surely detected. A system OF
examination Of railroad accounts should be
provided similar to that now conducted into
the national banks by the bank examiners ;
a few first class railroad accountants If
they had proper direction and proper
authority to inspect books and papers,
could accomplish much in preventing will
full violations of the law. 1t would not be
necessary for them to examine into the ac-
counts Of any railroad unless for good rea-
sons they were directed to do so by the
interstate commerce commission. 1t is
greatly to be desired that some way might
be found by which an agreement as to
transportation within a state intended to
operate as q fraud upon the federal inter-
state commerce laws could be brought under
the jurisdiction Of the federal authorities.
At present it occurs that large shipments
Of interstate traffic are controlled by conces-
sions on purely state business, which of
course amounts to an evasion of the law.
The commission should have power to en-
force fair treatment by the great trunk
lines of lateral and branch lines.
Quick Action Il Demanded.
1 urge upon the Congress the need of pro-
viding for expeditions action by the inter-
state commerce commission in all these mat
tiers, whether in regulating rates for trans
portation or for storing or for handling
property or commodities In transit. The
history of the cases litigated under the pres
emit commerce act shows that its efficacy
has been to a great degree destroyed by the
weapon Of delay, almost the most formidable
weapon In the hands of those whose purpose
it Is to violate the law.
Not Hostile to Railroads.
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 intOlerable; and on grounds of
m SQ1f n Uo mi oorIa.
Der that such hostility would tell against
the welfare not merely of some few rich
men, but multitude Of small investors, a
multitude of railway employees, wage-work-
ers and most severely against the interest
OF the public as whole. I believe that
on the whole our railroads have done we'll
and not i'll but the railroad men who
wish to do well 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 unwilling exactly as it is gladly done
by the willing. Moreover, If some govern
ment body Is given increased power the
effect will be to furnish authoritative an
swer on behalf of the railroad whenever
irrational clamor against it is raised, or
whenever charges made against it are dis
proved. l ask this legislation not only in
the interest of the public but in the interest
Of the honest railroad man and the honest
jeOpardized by the practices Of their dis
honest competitors. This legislation should
be enacted in spirit as remote as possible
from hysteria and rancOr. II we of the
american body polite are true to the ira
ditions 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 upon or treat contemptuously any
man because he is poor. We judge q man
ic hu hic ahor oofa
and not by his wealth or intellect. If he
makes his fortune honestly, there Is NO Just
cause Of quarrel with him. Indeed, we have
nothing but the kindliest feelings Of ad-
who behaves decently, whether he has made
his success by building or managing q rail-
road or by shipping goods over that rail-
road. The big railroad men and big ship
pers are simply Americans Of the ordinary
type who have developed to an extraordi-
nary degree certain great business qualities.
They are neither better nor worse than their
fellow citizns of smaller means. They are
merely more able in certain lines and there
fore exposed to certain peculiarly strong
temptations: These temptations have not
sprung newly into being the exceptionally
successful among mankind have always been
exposed to them; but they have grown
amazingly In power as result of the extra
ordinary development Of fndustrialism along
new lines, and under these new conditions,
see and therefore could not provide against
they have become so serious and menacing
as to demand entirely new remedies. It
Is In the interest Of the best type Of railroad
man and the best type Of shipper no less
than Of the public that there should be gov
ernmental supervision and regulation Of
these great business operations, for the
same reason that 1t is in the interest of
the corporation which wishes to treat it's
employees Alright that there should be an
effective employers liability act, or an
effective system Of factory laws to pre-
vent the abuse of women and children.
Will Prevent Much Temptation.
All such legislation frees the corporation
that wishes to do well from being driven
into doing it, in order to compete with its
rival, which prefers to do i'll. We desire to
set up a 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 judg-
ing any business or political question-from
rate legislation to municipal government.
business success, whether for the individual
or for the nation, is q good thing only so
far as 1t is accompanied by and develops
high standard OF conduct-honor, integrity,
civic courage. The kind Of business pros
perity that blunts the standard Of hon0r