The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-02
NO MORE RAILROAD BUILDING,


ern Railroad, declares that railroad
building in the United States Is thing
Of the past, yet he says in the next
breath that business has grown so that
the railroads cannot handle 1t.
'"rhis matter OF transportation" said
he in a recent interview, as most ur-
gent one People think there is no
limit to what the railroads can do.
There is q very present limit to many
railroads in the volume of business we
railroads. Last year the Great North
ern earned 5.6S per cent. The Great
Northern is bonded to less than $4o.-
100000 Of its value, but people are not
anxious to invest in railroad which
pays only 5.68 per cent. and have to sit
up nights planning how Dig
property when they can get Z and
s per cent. from other security. I
repeat that railroad building has stopped
times as fast as the mileage, and we
are up against a stone wall. Even the
amount needed to put gin a2condition
where we ought to bets so large as to
be beyond the possibility Of the coun-
try to furnish. We might as we'll put
railroad Improvement out Of the ques-
ton. The public will use what they
will not be in short time"
There is little doubt that railroad
building will be at the minimum for
| some time to come. Money Is scarce.
/! and those who have money to spare
are not apt to put 1t into new railroad
ventures, until they become satisfied
that government regulation will not be
ESQ harsh as to cripple the railroads in
their operation and destroy profits.
That means that the railroads now in
existence will have all the traf1lc they
can handle for a season, and II the gov
ernment allows them q living rate their
operations ought to be profitable.
| s45
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ITS BIG STICK
President Roosevelt neglects no oc-
casion to impress the public that he
is determined, So far as in him dies
to pursue and punish the mon who
transgress the law, be they rich o,
poor. and that all the appeals OF
vested interests and innocent stock
holders" will not deter him. Per
haps / am most anxious" said he ir
hts speech yesterday at Keokuk, "tc
get at the politician who Is corrupt
because he betrays q trust, but. as,
corruptionist who shows himself 8
swindler In business life; and, accord
ing to our power, crimes Of fraud ant
cunning shall be prosecuted as relent
lessly as crimes Of brutality and ply
steal violence"
, And again: II Go not admit that thi
(hts prosecutions OF trusts) has bee,
, the main cause of any business trou
) bles we have had. but 1t is possibl
s that 1t has been a contirbutory cause
: II so, friends. as far as am concerne
8 1t must be accepted as disagree cable
: but unavoidable, feature In course .
policy which, as long as am Presi
. dent, viii not be changed I
= Righteousness conflicts with the fancie
needs OF business. then the latter mus
60 to the wall"
This Is but repetition of what tn
President said In his Provincetow
9 speech. and what he has said on varl
Gus other occasions. 1t is Just ltttl
more emphatic He had not befor
said that he proposed to go ahead wit
his prosecutions, even though he kne'
). that his policy would bring on q PAN
and destroy business. But why doe
the President deem 1t necessary to RI
peat and reiterate these threats? VIII
. should he flourish his big stick wher
- ever he addresses public meeting