Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-02

Let me most earnestly say that these
recommendations arc not made in any
spirit of hostility to the railroads. 1
believe that on the whole our railroads
have done well and not i'll; but the rail
road men who wish to do well should
rot be exposed to competition with
those who have 10 such desire, and
the only way to secure this end is to
give to some government tribunal the
power to see that justice is done by the
unwilling exactly as it is gladly done
by the willing. 1t is in the interest of
the best type of railroad men and the
best type of shipper no less than of the
public that there should be government
al supervision and regulation of these
great business operations, for the same
reason that it is in the interest of the
corporation which wishes to treat its
employees Alright that there should be
an effective employers liability act, or
an effective system Of factory laws to
prevent the abuse of women and chill
dren. We wish to ensure as fair treat
ment for the small town as for the big
city: for the small shipper as for the
big shipper.
at is because, in my judgment, pub
lie ownership of railroads is highly I'M
desirable and would probably in this
country entail far-reaching disaster,
that ] wish to see such supervision and
regulation of them in the in
terest of the public as will make it
evident that there is no need for pub
lie ownership. The opponents Of gov
! errment regulation dwell upon the diff
cultieS to be encountered and the IN
tricatc ard involved nature of the prob
lem Their contention is true. 1t is i
complicated and delicate problem and
all kinds Of difficulties are sure to arise
in connection with any plan of solu
ton. while no plan will bring all bene-
fits hoped for by its more optimistic
adherentS But while l fully admit the
difficulties in the way, I do not for
moment admit that these difficulties
warrant US in stopping our efforts TO
secure 4 wise and just system.
y At present we face such utter lack
of supervision, such freedom from the
restraints of law, that excellent men
have often been literally forced into do
ing what they deplOred because other
wise they We're left at the mercy of the
unScrupulouS competitors. To rail at
and assault the men who have done as
they best could under such conditions,
accOmplsheS little. What we need to
do is to develop an orderly system; and
such = system can only come through
the gradually increased exercise of tie
right of efficient government control"
In his message to Congress at the be-
ginning of the second session of the
59th Congress. December =. 1906, the
President said:
THE Interstate commerce law has
rather amusingly falsitied the predic-
tionS of both of those who asserted that
it did not go far enough and would ac-
complish nothing. During the last fivt
months the railroads have shown in
creased earnings and some of these
unusual dividends; while during th.
same period the mere taking effect of
the law has produced an unprecedented.
a hitherto unheard number Of volun-
tary reductions in freiEhts and fares
by the railroads.
1T must not be supposed. however.
that with the passage Of these laws il
will be possible to stop progress along
the lines Of increasing the power of the
national government over the use If
capital and interstate commerce. For
example, there will ultimately be need
of charging the powers Of the Inter
state Commerce Commission along sew
eral different lines, 50 as to give it lar
ger and moro efficient control over the
railroads.
1T cannot too often be repeated that
experience has conclusively shown the
lnpossibiiity Of securing by the actions
OF nearly half a hundred different state
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos in the way Of dealing with the
great corporations which do not Oper-
ate exclusively within the limits of am
state. In some method whether hy
national license law OF in other fashion
we must exercise and at an early date
q far more complete control than at
present over these great cOrDorationS-
a control that will among other things
prevent the evils Of excessive over-cap-
italization and that will compel the
disclosure of each big corporation of It's
stockholders and Of its properties AMI
business. whether owned directly o,
subsidiary or affiliated corporations
This will tend to put a stop to the
securing of inordinate profits hy
favored individuals at the expense
whether of the general public, the
stockholders. or by wage workers
Our effort should be not so much tc
prevent consultations as such but to
supervise and control it as to see that
It results in no harm to the people.
In enacting AMI enforcing such le"
lslation as this Congress already has
70 It's credit We are working on a co
herent plan with steady endeavor to
secure the needed reforms by the joint