Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-10

makes the control OF IL a public as
well as private trust in every hand
that holds 1T. whether the hand be
chosen by 4 court or otherwise This
truth has been too long neglected and
storm signals are flying. Let 1t he
understood that there are no faVors
going. open or secret, but that it is
fare and fare alike all around And
II the property and business commit
ted to me by the courts shall suffer
from this cause, either at the aands
OF public officials or those OF rival
lines, the reason Will be plain 10 n
Wayfaring man and the lesson win be
worth 10 the country all it costs"
] think many did not al first take
me seriously. Commercial ideas had
too long prevailed You are all free to
deal or refuse TO deal, to buy as cheap
ard sell as dear rs you can. You
may have wholesale and retail prices.
You can give discounts and make con-
cessions. a railroad must serve eve
ry one that asks and charge all alike
Tor the same service.
Failure To observe this difference
was the chief cause OF the trouble, and
the shippers must take their share OF
the blame. for railway officers are like
other men. They give up nothing un-
less they are tempted or compelled.
This does not apply to officials who
are interested in the products to be
carried over their lines. | recommend
that such interest be forbidden by the
recent law as we'll as that of the rail-
road companies themselves, but 1t is
not done. ] think personal is much
stronger than official interest, and II Is
worldly as well as spiritual wisdom
TO keep men out of temptation.
MY POLICY.
| was met by many outcries as /
.I..l n.sH
carding all old arrangements which |
thought eonflicted with it and refusing
10 make new ones. But there was
the law. The old question What is
the Constitution between friends and
IT'S later form?" What is the Con-
stitution when one knows something
ought to be done?" are safe enough
vidcs no penalties for its violation. But
laws always wind up with unpleasant
clauses-so much or so long, or both.
When the people found ! was really
IN earnest and that all were treated
fairly and alike. they loyalty support
ed me. There are always some human
porkers 10 whom things taste better
under ground In the dirt but there are
not MANY of them among our people
If special favors are going they all
want some, of course, but they are al
ways content with an even chance, II
] lost business by the course | took,
there was no evidence of 1t. Then II
was my luck. perhaps | might claim
a slight share OF credit for It, that the
general awakening shortly came to
NEED FOR CARS.
/ soon found more cars We're needed
and l secured authority to get them
] asked for bids from builders, They
said they had no space. Space" l
said, Il have plenty OF space. want
cars TO run through IT," Then the
railroad tenderfoot found they meant
room on the list of orders. At last
/ got 1000 new box cars. ! could have
loaded every one right where they
were built. But no, | sent them all
empty to home stations and divided
them as fairly as ! could among walt
Ing shippers In two weeks they were
scattered all over the Union and tho
cry was still for more. / coaXed and
threatened and did all ! could 10 get
them back, but those that came were
right OF again as before. a region
which produces more shipped articles
that II consumes. of course, sends out
more loaded cars than II receives. So
cars tend to accumulate on trunk lines
and In the great commercial CentCrs
And when cars are scarce the tempta-
ton is to load them wherever they are
IOul1, LOT no matter Wnorf, instead OF
loading so as to start them home
ward.
CoUNTRY's COMMERCIAL UNITY
So have had set before my eyes the
commercial unity VI our country
which the railroads have brought
about. Practically ali railroad trans
portation Is now interstate so that an
have the advantage OF the widest mar
ket. both 10 sell and 20 buy And the
Interests OF the carriers as We'll as their
duty Is 20 enable shippers By good
service, AT reasonable rates 20 reach
as far as II Is possible
This enormous ANA growing COM
merce depends mainly upon railroad
transportation. and the proper conduct
and regulation OF that presents tho
most important and az the same time
the most delicate economic problem OF
our times,
DUTY OF SHIPPERS.
NOW a word about the shippers part
I'm this distressing matter OF ear short
age. Although the ownership and con-
troll OF railroads are private. their bust
ness so concerns the public thar II may
be regulated by law with due regard
10 tho interest OF the owners, and ser-
Vice on fair and equal terms IS a right
common 20 all people.
Thol are you not doing public
wrong when you lake as long as you
please 10 load and unload cars? You
do not get the right to use cars for