The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-01
I'VE" AND "US."

To the EnLToR or TIE SUN-Sir: n Pres
tdcnt Roosevelt In his elaborate diatribe
against American railways uttered In In
dianapolis at the end OF last May had a clear
perception then Of What would befall In sew
eral OF the states. and especially In North
Carolina. within a few weeks. II was creditable
TO his political foresight. He said:
The purpose OF those NJ US who No resolutely
believe In the new policy. IN It's thorough carrying
out. and In Its progressive development, IN In no
sense punitive or vindictivc. We would be inc
nrst 20 protest against any form pf connscht'on
OF property, and whether VIC protested or not {
may add that the supreme Court could he trusted
In any event 10 see that there should DO nothing
done under the Eulse Of regulating roads 10 de-
stroy property without Just compensation or With
out due process OF law.
He did not define the new policy" nor
describe those embraced by the pronouns
We" and us. so frequently used In that
speech, as in all his speeches.
The enactment OF the Interstate
law was two decades ago and cannot he ntly
alluded 10 az new" The giving Of power to
the\ commission TO prescribe maximum rail-
road rates is only a year old. and TO II the
President may have referred. The inherent
part Of IL is a control by the Supreme Court
conferred much against his wishes. Thus the
nine good men who ait on that bench are the
buckler and shield. One dislikes TO think
Va "bu iHtknt bdppth Ntt NIc v tth
by the pending and coming contests between
the railroads and their enemies to be too
great for the Federal Judges and the mem
bers OF the Federal bar who aid them. The
thought should be a warning against an un-
necessary piling OF labor on the nine. IL will
be a long. slow and tedious task for the In
culpated railways to establish the money
come In assailed.
Do we" and us refer to the President
alone az corporation sole or to the President
and Congress, or TO him and the legislative and
judicial powers combined or TO him and the
Republican party, or to him and his Cabinet
as the Administration Mr.. Bryan. who
travels extensively and constantly over the
country and has the repute of keeping his
best ear close TO the ground. is confident that
although his rival has partially adopted the
Democratic view regarding railways. yet
so far the Republican leaders have resolutely
opposed II. The President" he adds, is
helping to educate the people up to the need
OF railroad regulation. but his party under
its present leadership is powerless to accom-
plish this or any other important reform"
The probability. therefore. is that by I'VE"
and -us" the President means himself soil
tary and alone, or at most himself and his
Cabinet. 1t is to be hoped that the pro-
nouns do not. as used by him. really include
a majority OF the States and their voters.
The admirers Of my policies" can interpose
a plausible but yet a superficial defence Of
the President against proSimate RESPONSE
bility for what has recently happened in North
Carolina and in certain other States by the
plea that the Federal Interstate Commerce
Commission did not order the confscating
rates. but they we're the work Of the voters
as represented in the governments Of the
several States concerned.
Historians tell us that at the interview
after the battle Of Sedan in 1870 between
Louis Napoleon as a prisoner Of war and
Bismarck. the former in a manner quite
nonchalant explained to the latter that the
Emperor of the French was not alone respon-
sible for a war which was really begun by
the Paris newspapers. But" replied Bis
marck. who inspired the newspapers"
New YORK. July 81. J. X. G.