The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-02

M4O4AIN 1lNUe
 at the beginning of the frst and sec
 ond sessions of the last Congress. The
 President concludes his letter to MT.
 Smith as follows:
 Nethlng Further ta Say.
 You will see in the two speeches and the two messages that have said
 about all that I would say If spoke
 now. As said to your body the other
 day. I have already expressed again
 and again my carefully thought out
 beliefs. am more firmly than ever
 covinced that these beliefs are wise
 and that the policy I recommended in
 my messages at the opening of each
 of the last regular sessions of Con
 gress must be carried out Just at the
 moment I do not see that have much
 to add to what I have already said
 and think that what mas occurred
 since I wrote the two messages In
 question merely illustrates in striking
 fashion the desirability of the course
 I therein outlined"
 The portions of his speeches and
 messages which the President marked
 are as follows. In his address at Ra>
 leigh the President said:
 T do not believe in Government own
 ership of anything which can with pro- priety be left in private hands. In particular I should most strenuously object to Government ownership of railroads But believe with equal frmness that 1t is out of the question for the Government not to exercise a
 supervisory and regulatory right over
 the railroads: for 1t Is vital to the we'll
 being of the people that they should
 be managed in a spirit of fairness and
 Justice toward all the public.
 Actual experience has shown that 1t
 fs not possible to leave the railroads
 uncontrolled. Such a system. or rather
 such lack of system, is fertile in abuses of every kind. and puts a pre- -nium upon interruptions and ruthless cun ring in railroad management; for
 thert are some big shippers and some railr pad managers who are always will ng to take unfair advantage of their weaker competitors, and they thereby force other big shippers and big railroad men who would like to do decently. into similar acts of wrong and injustice. under penalty of being left behind in the race for success. Government supervision is needed quite as much in the interest of the tig ship per and of the railroad man who wants to do right as in the interest of the small shipper and the consumer. Experience has shown that the pres ent laws are defective and need amend- 1 ment. The effort to prohibit all de- straint of competition. whether reason- able or unreasonable, Is unwise. What we need is to have some administra- tive body with ample power to forbid combination that is hurtful to the pub | lie and to prevent favoritism to ono | individual at the expense of another. In other words we want an admtnistra- tive body with the power to secure fair 1 and just treatment as among all ship- pers who use the railroads-and all shippers have a right to use them. Power to Enforce Orders.
 'In my Judgment the most important | thing to do Is to give to this adminis- | trative body power to make its find ings effective and this can be done | only by giving 1t power. when com plafnt Is made of a given rate as be- | ing unjust or unreasonable. if 1t finds ! the complaint proper. then itself to | fix a maximum rate which 1t regards | as just and reasonable, this rate to go l into effect practically at once. that is | within a reasonable time and to stay
 in effect unless reversed by the courts I earnestly hope that we shall sec a
 law giving this power passed by Con- gress
 If there is in the minds of the com mission any suspicion that a certain | railroad is in any shape or way givins 1 retktes or behaving improperly. | wish the commission to have power as | matter of right. not as a matter oi \ favor. to make a full and exhaustive investigation of the receipts and ex- penditures of the railroad so that ans violation or evasion of the law may | be detected.
 \ This is not a revolutionary proposa | on my part, for I only wish the same power given in reference to railroad. ! that is now exercised as a matter oi l course by the national bank examiners as regards national banks. My object ! In giving those additional powers tc the administrative body representing | the government-the interstate com merce commission. or whatever 1t may be-is primarily to secure a real and not a sham control to the government | representatives. -.,
 Tt must be understood, as a matter l of course, that If this power is grant | ed it is to be exercised with wisdom l and caution and self restraint The | interstate commerce commission or other government officials who failed l to protect a railroad that was fin the right against any clamor, no matter how violent, on the part of the public would be guilty of as gross a wrong as if he corruptly rendered an improp. CT service to the railroad at the expense