Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-20
is sAut,E FOB the eANpER.

The interui,ban OFFICIAL who stood up
In a convention of interurban and cleo
trical experts; at Clinton this week and
said that they might expect. every one
of them. to he doing business under the
regulation OF, a state commission with
in the next ten years, was guilty OF
lnotbing radical at all. Mr.. w. A. Ban
croft, president of the Boston Elevated
Railway company, has recently written
in the Inter Nation that:
s.The American method of public
control by commissions seems to be
working better every day. In Massa-
chusetts, where have for nearly a
quarter of a. century had an intimate
view Of the relations between the pub
lie service corporations and their pub
lie regulation by commissions is a
source OF great satisfaction to all in
terests concerned, and is now applied
to nearly every branch Of activity to
which 1t is applicable. There we have
found that good feeling, intelligent UNI
|derstanding and liberal consideration
are attainaole. Both the people and
the corporati tons have. as a rule; the
utmost confidence in the, commission
ers, and, think it is safe to say, in
each other. We have not reached the
millennium, and, being only human. we
never shall, in all probability. But we
are good deal nearer to it than any
one had hope Of getting in the old
public be- damned" s'corporation be-
damned" days.
Massachusetts, has q railroad COM
mission with powers OF supervision
over capitalization and mergers of rail-
ways, as well as to rates and other de-
tails of infringement. 1t is most I'M
portant that this railroad manager has
found such government regulation ben
eflcial to tile railroad as well as to the
public. We too often think Of regula
tive commissions as simply protecting
the peoples interests against the
greedy corporations, but, as Mr.. Ban
the corporations against public hostil-
ity They promote a better mutual UNI.
Outstanding. II they bring to the at
tentiofi of the corporations their fall
ure to serve the public properly, they
also make clear to the understanding
OF the people the peculiar difficulties
that explain some Of the corporations
apparent shortcomings. They prevent
the corpora. tons from refusing the rea-
sonable ard thereby make the people
less ready to demand the impossible.
In New York state the great legisla
tive struggle now on, in which Cover
nor Hughes and the reform newspapers
are pitted against the corporation law
yers and corrupt politicians, is the eff
fort to secure the enactment of pub
lie utilities: law which shall place the
absolute control of ali railroads and
public utilities in New York City into
the hands of one commission, and that
of the same enterprises in the rest OF
the state into the hands o. another
commission. The bill is conceded as
good as passed now in some form, the
great fight being to amend it to insip-
idity.
Here again the public utility corpor-
ations are making great mistake.
They should listen to the experience of
the Boston railroad manager and have
the foresight and courage of the man
who spoks, at Clinton by accepting the
inevitable with a good face If presi-
dents Of railroads all over the country