The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-05-18
RAILROAD REGULATION.
What Reforms the Public Is Demand
ing at this Time.

The rnf.Toad managers are trying to
create the impression that the gov
eminent regulation of railroads will
prove disastrous to the business Of the
country, and that therefore congress
and the state legislatures should 'let
the railroads alone" But the people
who have been and are being plum
dered by those corporations feel that
drastic legislation and strict enforce
ment of the laws now on the statute
books has become necessary. 1t is
well, therefore, to inquire just what
the public demand, namely:
Reasonable passenger and freight
rates.
Safety and reasonable celebrity in
transportation of passengers and
goods.
Fairness and equal rights to all
persons and places.
No watered stock and bonds.
Cessation of st~ock-jobbing opera
lions by railroad managers and direc-
tors.
Discontinuance of political activity
and corrupt lobbying.
Taxation of railroads ON the same
basis as other property.
These seven requirements would
seem to be fair and reasonable
and why trying to enforce them should
produce business depression, or ruin
the railroads, can hardly be sustained
by evidence or the facts in each case.
Everyone is glad to see the railroads
prosper, their employees well paid,
with reasonable hours of service and
all modern appliances for their pro-
lection and the safety of the travelling
public.
AS it is impossible to have competi-
ton except at terminal points er
where two or more roads touch the
same place, it is useless now to at
tempt to abolish combinations. Six
great combines now control about ali
the railroads and competition, except
with water routes, is virtually abol-
ished. The public has received no
benefit from the dissolution of the
combination between the Great North
ern, Northern Pacific and Burlington
railroads and the energy of the ad-
ministration, the department of justice
and the supreme court has been en-
tirely wasted in the dissOlving Of the
Northern Securities company, for nei-
Their freight nor passenger rates have
been reduced thereby, nor any advan-
tage gained by the public. Looking
at the matter from a political point Of
view this useless effort to restore com.
petition is all the Roosevelt admins.
tration has accomplished. The rail-
road rate bin of the last congress has
given the interstate commerce COM
mission more power to investigate
railroads and say what rates are I'M
reasonable, but the power to estab-
lish a reasonable rate in place Of the
unreasonable one is virtually lacking,
therefore rates are the same as be-
fore the law was enacted.
1t must be advantageous to the rail
roads to limit accidents to such as
are unavoidable, and if too great
speed is the chief acuse Of accidents,
it cannot injure the business of the
country to limit the speed to the re-
quirements of safety. To charge more
for a short haul han a long n is un-
fair and is a discrimination in favor
of terminal points and against interior
places. Free passes and rebates are
VIGOROUSLY unjust to those who do
not receive such favOrs and the Fail
roads can we'll afford to reduce rates
to the public now these drains on
their incomes have been about abol'
ished.
That the people demand that they
shall not be charged unreasonable
rates to pay interest on water stocks
and bonds will undoubtedly reduce
railroad profits, but it cannot injure
business.
The proper regulation of railroads is
therefore for the benefit of the people
and will soon prove of advantage to
those who have honestly invested
their money in railroad property.