The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-04-30
INGALLS, DEFENDS ROOSEVELT
Big -Four Magnate Says "0bey
The Law

PITTSBURG. Pa. April 3O-Mel-
vile E. Ingalls, chairman of the Big
Four SYSTEMS board of directors. III
a speech before the Pittsburg Traffic
club tonight declared that President
Roosevelt was about the only and prob
ably the best friend the railroads have
got.
MIR. ingalls, also declared that the
tlroads might as well quit fighting
and submit to regulation. ANY man.
he said, ''whO is not prepared to man.
age his railway as Il public institution
in accordance with the law should re-
sign and seek some other business"
More than three hundred railroad
presidents. vice presidents, freight
agents. and traffic managers and a big
pers Of freight. heard Mr.. Ingalls, talk.
Mr.. Ingalls, said in part:
You would think. from the speeches
that are being made, from the publi-
cations, from the magazines and news
papers, that the railway managers
were men of i'll repute capable of most
every crime. No one dares raise a
have received favOrs are the loudest in
preaching reforms and regulation of
railways. In fact. I think it is pretty
near true what the president says
that he is about the best friend they
have
There have been many things done
in the past by railway managers which
were wrong, but most of them, for
which they are SO badly condemned.
were justified by the situation and con-
ditiOns existing when they were done.
In the beginning every railway man.
lager was striving to build up indus
tries on his line-waS striving to get
his fair share of business from his
competitor. There were few VINO
could withstand the temptation.
1T has been long fight 1t had
been long time in which public Opin-
ion 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 Sc
cret rebates-no more free transporta-
ton.
He is no lover of his country who
gOgues who today are bowling and
abusing the railways. Your congress-
your legislatures, your courts must
consider that this is an enormous ques-
ton. and one of those which goes to
the very vitalS Of the life of the coun-
try. If the present condition of af-
fairs is prolonged it means panic; it
means suffering: it means dull times,
long hours. and poor wages for the
working people.
You have to trust your lives daily to
the employees of the railways-to the
men who manage down to the lowest
emplOye who flags at the crossing. Are
you willing to trust your lives to this
large class of men whom you abuse
continually? Do you suppose you can
abuse the managers and still have the
ordinary trainmen or employees loyal?
Do you suppose you can have the
railways run without accidents if the
great mass of employees are to read
daily in the newspapers and the mag
aZines and to listen to the speeches of
public men saying that the men over
them are unworthy Of confidence are
wicked and criminals? No, all this must
stop.
II admire the stand taken by the
president of the Pennsylvania railroad.
when he said he had no cause to go to
Washington to confer with the preSi-
dent-that his company desired to obey
the law. This is what all the railways
must do-submit to the law"