Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-31

ttives, while at the same time securing.
Iif possible better wages and shorter
hours for the employees. There must ,
! be just and reasonable regulation of
rates, but any arbitrary and un,hink-
ling movement to cut them down may
| be equivalent To putting a complete
stop to the effort to provide better
| transportation.
There can be no question as to the
desirability of doing away with rebates
or any method of favOring one shipper
at the expense of a competitor. and di-
rect dealing with the rates is sometimes
the only method by which this favor
itism can be avoided; but where favor
itism is not alleged. and when the
lquestion is markedly one of getting Il
Hover rate it must be remembered that
it is often possible that those demand
ling il may be Numerically opposed in
Interest to those who demand a better.
lsafer, and more rapid transportation
hours for employees.
VIII CurtaiI investment.
; IF the demand for more taxes. for
higher wages. for shorter hours for
employees, and for lower rates be
comes so excessive as to prevent am
pie and speedy traT sportation, and 10
eat up the legitimate profits; if popH-
lar and legislative movements take a
shape so ill-directed as not only to
4 threaten honest investments and hon
3 est enterprises, but also to prevent any
] effort for the betterment of traRSpOrta'
ton facilities. it then becomes out OF
4 the question to secure the necessary
investment of capital in order to bring
about an improved service. Rat
should not be unduly high; there
a should be a thorough safeguarding
4 against accidents: there should be uC
improper Sinking of taxes; the ship
a pers of the country must be supple
q generously with cars and all othe,
II equipments necessary to properly ca?C
q for our commerce, and all this mean.
a that the national government must l.,
a given full and effective power of sup
q ervision and control But the int2-
q ests of those who build who manag
81 and who invest in the railroads mus
4 be no less scrupulously guarded thar
n the interests of the public.
a TT is urgently necessary at the pres
u ent time, in order to relieve the exist
u ing congestion of business and to Il
8 away with the paralysis which threat
n ems our expanding industries, becaus
"a of limited and inefficient means of di;
81 tribution, that our railway facilitie
81 should be so increased as to meet Tn
8 imperative demands of our interna
~ commerce The want can be met onl
"a by private capital, and the vast e2
81 penditure necessary for such purpOs
"a will not be incurred unless privat
81 capital is afforded reasonable mce;
n tive and protection. 1t is therefore
prime necessity to allow investment
in railway properties to earn a libero
81 return a return sufficiently liberal ;
81 cover all risks. We can not get a
q improved service unless the carriers (
E the country can sell their securities
M and therefore nothing should be don
# unwarrantedly to impair their cred
~ nor to decrease the value of their on
M standing obligations.
81 emphatically believe that positi.
ia restraint should be imposed upon ra
+ way corporations, and that they shou
be required to meet positive obligatio,
= in the interest of the general publ
S no less emphatically believe that
thus regulating and controlling the 9
"a fairs of the railways it is necessary
= recognize the need of an immense o.
lay of money from private source
~ and the certainty that this will not
met without the assurance of sufficie
81 reward to induce the necessary inve'
ment. 1t is plainly inadvisable for Il
government to undertake to direct Il
n physical operation of the railway
= save in wholly exceptional cases; al
the supervision and control it eX,
cises should be both entirely adequa
to secure its ends, and yet no mo
harassing than is necessary to secu
arA