The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-02

of the public. When I say . square deal mean a square deal.
 In his address to the delegation of railway employes orders, in this city November IA, 1905, the president said;
 There has been comparatively It, tie complaint to me of the railroad rates being as whole too high. The most serious complaints that have been made to me have been of improper dls- elimination in railroad rates. For in- stance, in two recent cases affecting great corporations, the complaints that have been made to mt have been that they are too low as regards certain big shippers: the complaint in both these cases is about the differential, the differ rsnce of treatment of two sets of users of the railways. the differ encs in favor of one set of shippers as against another set of shippers.
 Fair Play to the Roads.
 If you will look at my Raleigh speech and my other utterances you will sec my principles clearly set forth. have said again and again that I would not tolerate for one mo- ment any injustice to a railroad any more than I would tolerate any injus- tice by railroad. I have said again and again that I would remove a pub. lie official who improperly yielded to
 
 no matter how popular that clamor might be. just as quickly as I would remove a public official who rendered an improper service to the railroad at the expense of the public.
 But I am convinced that there must be an increased regularity and supervisory power exercised by the government over the railways. In- deed I would like it exercised to a hoA v idea of pressing at the moment. For instance, would greatly like to have 1t exercised in the matter of over-cap- 1t tlization. I am convinced that the wages fund would be larger if there was no fictitious capital upon which divid. uds had to be paid. I need hard ly say that this does not mean hos- tility to wealth.
 If you gentlemen here, in whom believe so strongly, were all a uni. in demanding that some improper &C., tion should be taken against certain men of wealth, then no matter wheth- CT I did or did not like those same men of wealth, I would defend against you, no matter how much I cared for you: and In so doing I would really be acting in your own interest. l would be false to your interest if 1 failed to do justice to the capitalist as much as to the wage worker. But shall act against the abuses of wealth as against all other abuses. All want in any rate legislation is to give the government an efficient supervisory power which shall be ex- ercised as scrupulously to prevent in- | justice to the railroads as to prevent | their doing injustice to the public Ouy endeavor to see that those big rail. road men and big shippers who are not responsive to the demands of jus i, tice are required to do what their feI. lows who are responsive to the dc. | mands of justice would be glad to dc | of their own accord.
 ''The best possible regulation oi rates would, of course, be that SC. ! cured by an honest agreement between 1 the railroads themselves to carry oui the law. The power vested in the | government to nut a stop to agree ments to the detriment of the public should. in my, judgment, be accompa. nied by power to permit, under spe. vision, agreements clearly in the in. terest of the public.
 l Close Scrutiny of Books.
 "A system of examination of railroad | accounts should be provided similaa to that now conducted into the nation al banks by which the bank exami ners. a few first-class railroad ac | oountants, if they had proper direction and proper authority. to inspect book and paners, could accomplish much Il | preventing wilful violations of tn | law
 1 Let me most earnestly say that tn | recommendations are not made in | spirit of hostility to the railroads.
 have thought, on the whole, the rail roads have done we'll and not i'll; bu the railroad men who wish to do wei should not be exposed to competition ! with those who have no such desire and the only way to secure this enc Is to give to some Government tribuna the power to see that justice Is done | by the unwilling exactly as 1t is glad | iy done by the willing
 1 Tt is In the interest of the best typ, | of the railroad men and the best typ, | of the shipper, no less than of tn, | public, that there should be govern | mental supervision and regulation O. | these great business operations, fol l the same reason that 1t is in the inter | est of the corporation which wishes tt | treat its employees alright that there should be an effective employers Iia bility act or an effective system of fac tory laws to prevent the abuse of wo