Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-21
DR.ABBOTT CENTRALIST
NEW YORK DIVINE ON GROWTH
OF FEDERAL POWER.
Thinks It Right to Put Railroads I'm
der Government Control-The
President Praised.

NEW YORK, December 21.-The Rev.
DR.. Lyman Abbott aroused the Graduates
Club to cheers last night when he declared
that he was in thorough sympathy with
President Roosevelt's ideas of greater con-
centration In government. DR.. Abbott
praised the President after roasting the
railroads and saying that some kind of
government control of railroads was badly
needed.
The dinner was held in the rooms of the
Aldine Association, at Ill 9Th avenue, and
was in celebration of Forefathers' day.
The Graduates rather prided themselves
because they had got ahead of larger So
ceties in celebrating the event. President
Clarence E. Melleny was POSTMASTER and
perhaps 200 of the club were present.
DIR. Abbott spoke after President Melleny
had read extracts from William Bradfords
simply-spelled history of Plymouth Colony.
He said that the vision of the Pilgrims had
not been realized. and that hardly any
thing they expected has been accomplished.
They wanted theocracy where we have
democracy, and they thought to evade
the responsibilities and burdens of a world
power, but, said DR.. Abbott, the United
States has become a world power and
must accept the responsibilities and bur-
dens whether it likes it or not
A New Europe.
What we have said DIR. Abbott lis
not new England as the Pilgrims ex-
pected, but a new Europe
DIR. Abbott told of journey from New
York to Atlanta that he made as a young
lawyer fifty years ago, and said that he
had to lay in supply of gold because of
the insecurity of the bank note circula-
ton of that day. Then he explained how
the government solidified and reformed
the banking system SO that few men would
be able to say on short notice what bank
issued the notes they have in their pockets
What we have done in banking said
DR.. Abbott, I'VE can do in every DEPART
ment Of energy. l will speak of the rail-
roads am not here to discuss railroad
rates, except to say that it is scarcely pos
s1bie for man to know what he will be
charged for shipping a piece of goods a
certain distance without going to the rail-
road road office and even then he can't be GER
tain that he will be charged what his
neighbor was charged What is possible
is for the government to do for railroads
and the insurance business what has been
done with banking.
1T is not necessary to pass the railroads
over to the government or to destroy the
value of individual effort or competition in
any way but it is possible to put in opera
tlon a system of railroad management over
which the government will have absolute
control for the public good. The govern
ment must in time that we get from
the railroads the convenience, the uniform
ity anu the resulting comfort t0dt we now
get from a uniform banking system.
No Danger of Autocracy
There are some men in this country that
are terribly afraid we are in danger of an
autocracy and they make a great to do
about it. There is no more danger of an
autocracy in this country than there is of
our going back to the days of the ram
shackle old stagecoach or to the Imprinted
Ira cd 70 4 fpr,
L am not here to defend or to eulogize
President Roosevelt. He doesn't need de-
Tending, and l am not sure that he would
thank me for eulogizing him. 1t is said
that he is assuming autocratic powers.
Now, let's use little common sense The
President cannot use the army as he will
He cannot make officials of Importance
without the consent of the Senate. He
has over him the authority of the Ameri-
can people.
What the President has done is simply
to understand what the American people
are thinking, and the concentra ton of au-
thority which he favors is the concentra-
ton of public opinion speaking through
one stalwart courageous man. So long as
the people can take away the authority
they confer we are in no danger of au-
tocracy. The Presidents kind of concen-
tration is the kind of concentration we
need in great cooperative undertaking
such as ours