Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-27
System Which Has Brought
About Many Evils Will
Never Return
SUCH is BELIEF OF INGALLS,
Chairman of Board of Directors of
Big Four Makes Broad Confession
at Banquet Of Traffic Mon = Advises
to Quit Running to President With
Every Trouble.

Plttsburg, Fla. April 27.-Three hum
lred or more railroad presidents, vice
presidents and other officials, besides
manufacturers and all classes Of ship
pers of freight, were guests OF the
Traffic club, of Pittsburg, last night
at the annual banquet.
Melville r, ingalls,, chairman Of the
board of directors Of the Big Four,
made the principal address of the
evening.
After going into details as to the
development of transportation facilities
in this country and the formation OF
the interstate commerce commission,
Mr.. Ingalls, said:
II have tried to give you faithful
picture Of the railways; of their growth
from the beginning up to the present
time and the various events which
have led up to the present unfortunate
condition.
There have been many things done
in the past by railway managers which
were wrong, put most of them from
WHICH lucy die ~ Oiuiy
were justified by the situation and
conditions existing when they were
done.
"Of course some rebates and secret
contracts were for the purpose of en-
abling one shipper to crush out COM
petitor and this was wrong and cam
not be too strongly condemned. OF
course, there have been cases where
rebates have been given and secret
contracts made in which the railway
official has been interested. There are
always dishonest men in every profess
sion but the great mass of rebates and
contracts in the past have been made
by railway officials in absolute good
faith, and as they believed, for the in-
terests Of the property they represent
ed.
1T has been long fight-it has been
a long time is which public opinion
has been getting educated, but as l
have stated, the end has come. There
is to be in the history of this country
no more secret contracts-no more re-
bates-no more free transportation.
"Now what of the future? And 1T is
one of the most important questions
that the American republic has ever
faced. You may abuse the railway
men, you may by chance force into
bankruptcy railway lines, but you cam
not wipe out the great transportation
industry. the great business repre-
sentel by the railways without Destroy
ing the business of the country.
There is nothing else I know of that
permeates the life, the health and the
happiness of the nation as it's transport
tation interests. Over a million of men
are employed directly by the railways;
at least five millions are employed by
the railways and the companies which
are subsidiary and producers for the
railways. Twenty millions of people,
or one-fourth of all the Inhabitants of
this land are dependent for their daily
bread, their health and their happiness
upon the prosperity of the railways.
Neither can you settle the condition
of the railways by different people and
different managers running to Wash
ington and claiming the protection of
the president In fact. we have got so
hysterical and frantic that we seem to
appeal to the president for almost
everything, like the peasant of Russia.
When we find train late, We say we
will write the Great White Father in
Washington and he will regulate and
correct it."