Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-06-06
ed by the laws under which they were

ed by the laws under which they were
issued.
The divorcing of railroad management
from stock speculation.
The President admitted the possible
necessity Of government operation of
railroads by declaring against 1t, save
in wholly exceptional cases"
The most radical step taken by the
President and the one to which most ex-
ception will be taken in all probability
is that relating to the effect of the es-
Establishment OF government post roads
In his speech he said that "in so far as
| mails It Is, in my opinion probable that
whether their business is or Is not in
| terstate 1t is to the same extent subject
TO federal control under that clause of
the Constitution granting to the nation
al government power to establish post
roads and therefore, by necessary i'm
plication, power to take all action neces-
sary in order to keep them at the high
est point of efficiency
No one can seriously question the fact
that the government has the right to
| control the mail service of tho country
everywhere, whether that service be per-
formed by rural delivery carrier n
| stage coach, a railroad confined entirely
to one State or to an interstate trans
portation line. We are inclined to the
opinion, however, that while the Presi-
dent would take all action necessary to
keep a post road at the highest point of
| efficiency, he would find difficulty in
justifying on this ground any attempt
to control the freight traffic of a rail-
road confined entirely to one State and
therefore entirely under the control of
the commonwealth as regards charter
rights and duties.
This Is in effect an academic point,
however, for as a matter of fact many
the federal government has gone with
reference to rates for passenger traffic,
States will enact legislation dealing
with freight rates and rebates on rail-
road lines entirely confined to their
Irrespective territory. Hitherto the OBJ
stacle in the path of state legislation
| in relation to trunk lines has been the
successful contention that a State
could not interfere with interstate
commerce, and this has been the one
source of demand for congressional
acts looking to control of railroads.
We believe judging from the DISPOSE
tion already shown in various COM
monwealths, the federal government
can safely conhne its attention to in
terstatc commerce and traffic. leaving
the respective States to deal with the
control of transportation lines wholly
within their own jurisdiction, as re-
CARDS both freight and passenger ser
vice. 1t is to be noted in this connec-
ton that the transportation of mail
matter is essentially an Interstate SER
vice.
President Roosevelt shows, as was
to be expected by every intelligent per-
son. that he IS utterly opposed to any
step looking toward the confiscation of
railroad property. lie would check
overcapitalization, and prevent the
running of railroad properties by stock
spectators He would take every
means reasonable to encourage the up
building of Legitimate interests.
All this Is reassuring to bona fido
investors, and for all except those who
wish to be the forerunners of PAM,
and calamity, there is nothing alarm
Ing in the Presidents railroad policies
} on the other hand these policies are
we'll calculated to satisfy the popular
! demand for means of preventing trans
portation lines from abusing patrons
who are placed wholly within their
power.