The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-02
Inadequate TRANSPORTATION.

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The railroads have been the great
developers of the country. Rail trans
portation has given the American peo-
pie possession of thousands of miles
of productive area which, without their
aid, would have been practically un-
occupied to this day. The railroad has
been the pioneer. It has gone ahead
of settlement and development and has
exhibited great faith in the future
Of the country which it has penetrated
as the leader of civilization, and COM
merce. No other business interest has
manifested a more inspiring confidence
in the growth of industry and popula-
lions.
Such has been the history of things
for half century, from the time when
the frontier was reached on the banks
of the Mississippi till that retreating
line was forced back to the Pacific
ocean.
And yet now, at the very hour Of
the country's greatest prosperity, when
the evidences Of commercial stability
and strength are strongest, and when
the development of our resources and
the volume of business rises to un-
precedented heights, the railroad in
terest alone Of all the great indus
tries of the country seems to falter
and lose it's confidence. Hesitant and
doubling, the permanency Of the. pros
perity which has spread itself all over
the country, the railroads fail to pro-
vide for the greatly increased demand
upon their facilities, and, with their
inadequate equipment, stagger like
overloaded beasts of burden under a
volume of traffic which they are IN
able to bear. They have failed accu-
rately to forecast the future and to
provide themselves with the cars and
the motive power which are needed to
render the reasonable service which
they are under obligations to give as
public servants.
That is one explanation of the pres
ent deplorably insufficient transporter
ton service of which the public Justly
complains. Other excuses and explana-
lions are given. The policy Of MAX
ing every car earn money for every
mile over which it turns wheel-no
empties hauled-is one explanation. Di-
version Of earnings into swollen divi-
dends at the expense of equipment, for
stock-jobbing purposes, is another ex-
planation; and others are offered that
are even less acceptable, more or less
local in their application.
In the absence of agreement among
railroad men themselves as to the rea-
son, the first one seems to be gener-
ally regarded as perhaps the most prob
able and least calculated to provoke
hostile criticism. 1t means that the
railroads have fallen down. They fig
ured each year that the next would be
the last without break in the pros
perity of the country, and they refused
to keep their equipment up to the in
creasing demands of the country.
The railroads are public servants.
They are failing to render a fair and
reasonable service. The government is
going to find out why. That is the
new phase of the carshortage problem,
and it opens new field Of activity for
the power of the state, which has I'M
dertaken to control the railroads. This
inquiry will be undertaken in no spirit
Of hostility or reprisal, but for the
sole purpose Of ascertaining what the
public has a perfect right to know and
to have remedied as far as practicable
and as soon as possible.
This. is an important move on the
part of the government, but our Wash
ington dispatches today say that it is
sure to come. Whether the interstate
commerce commission possesses any
power to compel the railroads to meet
the demands of the business world may
be, doubted, but if it will develop the
facts, public sentiment will do the rest
it will either excuse and palliate or
it will condemn and make such a de-
mand upon the roads for fair and rea-
sonable service that they will presently
acquire a larger faith in the perma-
nency Of our prosperity and make haste
4 to catch up with the procession.