Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-05-17

Gnuuren get Lnelr e0uChLlOn IN inc com
Q mon schools as yours do; my boy toll
In the farm just as your boy does. N
Ontire income is either my salary o
the product Of the farm. Every in
terest that l have in life Is the sam
Interest as yours. When I speak 70
the protection of my own interests a
any time, speak for the protection o
your interests. have never ye
evaded my duty in the district. l hay,
never evaded a vote in congress.
Recently there has been some in
quiry concerning whether | would sup
port the President or not have
stood by every republican president
this country ever had, from Lincoln
to Roosevelt, and l won't begin now to
desert. / stood by every one Of them
when there were good many in Kan
sas who didn't know where they stood
Position ON Railway Legislation.
It is fair to you and fair to myself
to say that suppose good deal Of
question about my attitude arose from
speech which I made at the Wash
lngton county reunion last fall. At
that time was talking to my COM
rades concerning our country, and
was trying to show her magnificent
power as nation, her duties to civili-
cation, her resources within herself,
and the problems that lie Immediately
before ourselves for our common well
fare, and spoke then, as l intend 10
speak now, concerning the elements
Of our business life. And in the course
Of that speech, spoke about the rail-
roads.
/ said then that there were "217 900
miles Of railroads in the United States.
This is more than there is in England
France and Germany together; that
the tonnage of freight carried upon
the railroads of the United States that
year was more than upon the rail-
roads of Europe, Asia and Africa, and
at lower freight rates than In any
country In the world" said there |
was a question presented to us now
concerning the extent to which the
government should control those
freight rates.
said, and say 1t now, that the rail-
roads are not government railroads.
They are the property Of the private
citizens of the United States But
because they are common carriers
engaged In a public service, we have
the right to say, II we believe It ought
to be, that there shall be three en-
g1neers upon every engine, or two con-
ductors on every train, and a brake
man on every car; we have a right to
say how many passengers shall ride
IN every car, or how many tons Of
freight shall be loaded in one car; we
have a right to say what the weight
If the rails shall be and how many
les shall be in a yard Of track, and
low far apart they shall be placed;
We have the right to require them to
AVE convenient station houses for
eceiving freight and for delivering
reight at the other end; we have a
light to require them to receive
reight from every shipper, and keep
safely until 1t is loaded, and carry
safely to its destination and keep
safely until 1t is delivered to the
onsignee. We may require them to
barge the same rate for the same
ervice to all men, and to treat all
hippers equally. And we may re-
uire that all charges for service shall
Q equal to all men, and shall be
easonable and not extortionate or I'M t
lst. And that there shall be no rebates n
r secret favors to any person and no n
in favor of any man or O
orporation and no unjust discrimina- a
on in favor Of or against any COM e
unity or locality. IL
All this we have the right and the CT
over to say, because they are COM II
on carriers. Even though they are Il
rivate property they engage in a pub 81
c service, and engage in 1t subject to u
he control Of the law. And we make ct
lie law. Then, said, we are now s
sked to go one step farther and to OF
lthorize commission to take charge N
the rates and fix the rates at which
eight shall be carried, and thus fix Of
Ie income Of the owners. ii
re
Our Right to Regulate. w
And there, said, we meet another as
Try important question; there we ss
UGH the right Of private property. II
Dr. this is private property although ca
gagged in public service. The only al
ing a railroad has to sell is It's SER va
ce. II II can't sell that service, up
J roads and locomotives and station
buses might as well be scrap iron. tn
he sale Of the service is the only in it
me. The constitution has said that re
ivate property shall not be taken ca
r public service without compensa-
IN, and this income Of the road is Di
ivate property which belongs to the wi
iYate individual owners Of the road, de
d the constitution has expressly in
Id that II shall not be taken for pu
bile service without compensation. tel
i'd we are square up to that question alb
hen we undertake to legislate what II
e rate shall be upon that road. on
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