Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22
Bowling to Public Opinion.

Two interesting dispatches bearing upon
the general railroad situation in this coun-
try are printed in the news columns today.
one Is In the form of an interview with NJ.
+ Ingalls,. president of the Big Four
road, in which he says that the railroad
men Of the United STATES no longer regard
the President a DOGGY and have passed
the stage of keen apprehension lest the
chief executive may adopt radical policy
of appropriation. They are able. he
declares to apply the personal equation to
lis uttcrauCes and to see that he is Wit
riolc on the subject of railroads only In
matters in which f. H Hartman is con-
Cernyd. The most important sentence in
the Interview is the statement OF Mr.. In
gals that 1t is good for the railroads TO
have to obey the laws. If he speaks the
sentiments of the railroad heads of the
country on that score the recent agitation
and the late legislation by Congress and
the states will have been to good effect,
both for the railroads and for the people.
Closely akin to this sentiment is the an
nOunCvment in the other dispatch that as a
result of conference just held in Chicago
it is probable that beginning with the LIST
of July a uniform 2-cent rate for passen-
gers will be put into operation all over the
country. SO many states have enacted =
spring that unless they are disposed to
fight in court the transportation lines will
have a hard time hereafter to maintain
higher rates in any considerable portion of
the American territory. There has been
verttable epidemic of rate-reduction law
making and according to the news story
from Chicago the heads of some of the
larger systems have recognized the futility
of further resistance TO the sentiment which
now prevails throughout the country.
1t will be well for the railroad interests IL
this policy is generally adopted. The coun-
try is convinced that the lines can carry
passengers for 2 cents a mile and make
money. There have been too many demon
strations of the high financing of the
railroads during recent years to permit any
other belief than that the railroads have
been profiting enormously for a number Of
years. They have paid heavy rebates to
the trusts. They have issued stocks and
bonds in enormous sums. They have paid
heavy dividends on watered securities
They have been juggled back and forth by
operators who have made millions out of
the transactions. The ''harrimanlzing" pro-
cess, now fairly well understood by the
people. has been accepted as proof positive
that the old freight and passenger rates
were exorbitant
In view of all these devices and maneu-
yers there is no fear that the reduction of
passenger rates by direct legislation or of
freight rates by commission rulings will
drive any of the corporations into the hands
of receivers. Bad management in operation
or reckless financierng may cause trouble
for the lines. But with good management
and sane and honest methods at headquar-
tiers there is no reason why all the lines
now in existence should not maintain them
selves pay good dividends and make extern
sions and effect improvements without trou-
BILE. At least that is the fixed belief of the
people and they will not be persuaded to
the contrary without fair and honest trial
of the new methods.