Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-20
As rury DO IN ENGLAND.

Congressman Hepburn. of Iowa. !
Just returning from quite an extensive
four IN Europe one 81 the principa
objects 81 his visit abroad was tc
make a thorough investigation Of rail.
road management and general rail
road conditions In England. with 9
view 10 gathering information that
might be Of value 10 congress In III.
matter Of railway legislation IN this
country. In. the course Of a recent In
terview Mr.. Hepburn Is reported as
having said that nothing he saw on
learned about the British system
could be successfully introduced into
our system here In the United States
A special department OF the British
board OF trade exercises a peculiar
sort Of authority IN railrond matters
throughout the United Kingdom. Il
was particularly Impressed says the
Iowa congressman. with the tremen-
dous power which this organization
possesses over transportation and with
the manner Ia which II employs this
power And he offers this BY WAY OF
illustration.
For instance. = new railroad Is pro-
iected. The route and the amount Of
capitalization must meet with the ap-
prevail Of the board Of trade before
the project Is sanctioned. when the
Dad Is completed inspectors thor
oughly examine every detail OF the
equipment. n the rails are too light
they must be replaced. n the bridges
are unsafe they must be strengthened
and the road cannot be utilized until
every detail satisfies the inspectors.
This inspection y no cursory thing. but
Il done by responsible ana highly
paid officials.
This initial investigation would
have been a good thing for America.
when the railroads IN our country
were in their infancy; but I think IL
u too late to Try 20 Introduce Il now
Railroad problems In the United
States added Mr. Hepburn. "arise
principally from the dual nature Of
government
They do initiallv. says the New York
Commerclai-that Is, the existence Of
state and federal governments opens
the way. offers the opportunity. for
The creation OF construction Of what
appear to be problems that would
not otherwise arise. but oftentlmes
they are not problems at all These
facts, however. do not discredit our
dual system Of government In the
smallest measure: and the time will
come when We shan an recognize more
clearly than now hat the regulation
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS period through
which the country is passing was
largely the result Of the work OF dem
agogues; and we shall come 90 won
der how 1t happened that clcar-mlnd-
ed. hard-hcaded men and women ever
allowed themselves to get wrought mp
Il al.
A. To- the power over rail affairs
by The British board OF trade
1t Is uuqucstionably true that the pre-
liminary Investigations referred to
would have been a good thing here in
wv hHiitfA EAAAAtH MNfN NWi NNAlANNN i
system was In ~ infancy. and the
Hepburn opinion that u b. too late Co
the experiment here o. probably
correct. But may it not with fairness
submitted that the owners of our
American milroads-that u.s. thc myr
upon myriads 90 their s%harehold
rra-thrir chosen management and
people on large would Infinitely
even now the Tremendous
the domination of one CEN
raj body ~ Intelligent. practical. eN-
perienced. uir-mluiei business men
10 that ~ almost haIf l hundred state
legislature. nearly as many state
commission O. federal COM
rress and ara Interstate commerce
commission Here. for Instance. o.
he spectacle II maximum fares ON
.ailroads arbitrarily ecf no around tun
a mile in seventeen states ~ the q
within the past twelNrmuuth-
proceeding that promises litigation
hose final adjudication annot De-
cached in many years and that must
meantime. only uncertainty un-
eitement aud bad feeling would au
.merican regulator like the British
aari % trade ever be guilty 81 pre-
a. a.