, 1907-04-01
WRITES TO CHAIRMAN OF ILL
NoIs MANUFACTURERS CON.
CORNING STATUS OF
THE AGITATION.
His Position Well Understood and Has
Not Been AItered--Is Opposed to
Any Kind Of Government Owner.
ship But is For ReguIation-RaiI-
road Must Be Protected from Clam
or When They Are In the Right.

ItOOseNSil, Ill ueCllulnS the lnVlLdLlOQ
Of the Illinois Manufacturers associa-
ton to make address at Springfield,
next week on the railroad and financial
situation, writes a letter to H. Smith,
president of the association, explain
ing that such an address by him at this
time would be useless, as his position
was well understood and that he stands
by all his previously expressed views.
Will Not Hurt Railroads..
From an authoritative source it is
learned that the president has not the
slightest intention Of taking any &C.
ton which would %invalidate railroad
securities. The president holds, upon
the other hand, that every executive
action of his administration regarding
railroads has furnished its own justi-
fication.
No Reference to Values.
Neither has the president, it is point
ed out, made any reference to the phys
ical valuation Of railroads, holding the
roads capable Of working out this prob
lem for themselves. Attention is call
ed to the fact that the Northern Pacific
and Great Northern roads already have
submitted figures regarding such val
uation.
viii Ask Congressional Aid.
1t is also understood that the presi-
dent will again ask congress for power
to deal with the over-capitalization Of
the roads, which request was denied
at the last session.
Quotes from Speeches.
The president, in his letter to Smith,
outlines at length his position upon the
railroad and financial question by
means Of copious extracts from a
speech he delivered at Raleigh, N. e.,
october 10, 1905, others from a speech
delivered in Washington, November IA,
1905, and from his late message to
congress.
Position Amply Justified.
His position sinse the time Of his ad-
dresses and Messages, the president
declares, has been amply justified by
the course Of events. Its wisdom is
obvious, he adds, and there is no &C.
casion or reason for application at
present.
Government should Own Nothing.
Quoting from the Raleigh address,
the president calls attention to his be-
lief that the government should own
nothing which a properly be left in
private hands. but that such regula-
lions sAculd be exercised against the
railroads as to insure their operation
in a spirit of fairness to all concerned
Power With Reason.
Whatever power the government
Yields must be with wisdom, caution
and self-restraint. The railroads, he
declared, must be protected from pub.
lie clamor, no matter how violent,
when the roads are in the right.
Some Evils Exist.
Referring to his Washington ad
dress, the president says the railroad
rates are not as a whole too high, but
that the evils that exist are due to un-
Just discrimination, and this should be
prevented by law.
Wants Government Supervision.
In quoting from his message to con-
gress, the president outlines again his
well-known views favoring effective
government supervision over corporate
organizations, holding that any effort
to prevent all combinations would be
useless and vicious.
New Interstate Law Good.
He also justifes the new interstate
commerce law.