The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-31

less emphaticslly believe that in thus reg
Glaiins and controlling the affairs Of the
railways II Is necessary to recognize the
need OF an immense outlay OF money
from private sources and the certainty
that this will not he met without the
the necessary investment. II Is plainly
lnadVisable for the government 10 under
hs ayse' sa9s ,9s RhysSSs sSoy
cases; and the supervision and control
IT exercises should he both entirely sde
quate 10 secure It's ends. and yet no more
narassing than is necessary 10 secure
these ends
All Public Servants.
| believe that the railroad men ot the
United states are coming 70 a more per-
fest sense OF the responsibility OF the re-
and Of the dignity OF that relation, They
are public servants in the highest and
fullest sense. Indeed. there is not
brakeman mar a switchman upon the most
remote road in the land who does not All
a public function and render a service
OF large public usefulness. We begrudge
neither honor nor reward to these men
70 whom we entrust our lives and our
property Behind these active workers
In the railroad field are those who have
These men are entitled to great rewards;
and In return public opinion is right In
holding them TO rigid accountability
for the way they perform their public
duties. For several morthE past some. II
not all. Of our roads have been in con-
dltion OF extreme congestion. Doubtless
this is mainly due 70 the fact that the
country has outsrown It's railroads. that
our prosperity has Increased at such a
rate that the most sanguine snd op,i-
keep pace With its growth. But " Is also
true that ordinary methods OF operation.
which hold good In placid time OF steady
and regular movement should AT time
Of crisis yield to the imperative necee-
sities OF public need
Dependent Upon Railroads.
The experience of the pas, winter
proves how great is our dependence on
the railroads and how serious the respon-
sihlity OF those who undertake to care
for the public in the matter Of trsnspor-
tatton. I believe that thepe is sufficient
ingenuity and executive genius in the
operating officials of the roads greatly
10 diminish the troubles compla ined OF
The most effective way 70 lessen demands
for unreasonable legislation Is for the
railroads acting individually and collect
ively to remedy as many as possible OF
the abuses and shortcomings for which
there really are remedies. and for which
remedial laws are demanded by the ship
ping public.
The admirable national legislation of
recent years, in taking away from the
vor. has taken away from them one OF
the illesitinlate methods by which they
used To protect themselves from improper
attack. ard II is therefore necessary that
upright public servants should be Wig
liant 10 protect them against harm
10 prevent them from doing harm. Tn
doubtedly many high officers among the
railroad men have followed the extreme
ly unwise course OF endeavoripg TO defeat
the enactment of proper laws for their
own control, and of endeavoring to thwsTt
obstruct and bring into descredt the ad-
mlnistration of the laws. But the folly
Of some OF their number in no way alters
our duty, nor the wisdom Of performing
this duty In a spirit OF absolute Justice
a n "a q n md
general public.
Question One of Morals,
Finally. friends let us never forget
that this Is not merely a matter OF busi-
ness but also matter of morals The
success Of cur whole system OF govern
between men, not with reference to
whether they are rich or poor whether
they follow. one occupation or another,
but with reference solely TO whether they
act as honest and upright citizens should
act. Let the local attorneys OF the big
roads keep out of politics, and when they
have 10 appear before the National or
any State Legislature let their names be
put on n special register, and let their
business be aboveboard and open. There
1re blackmailers In public life and the
citizen who is honest will war against
the man who tries to blackmail q railroad
or big corporation with the same stern
deteru ination TO punish him against
the man who corruptly faNors such corpo-
ration. But let the railroad man remem-
Der that TO purchase immunity In wrong
doing or 20 iefeat blackmai by bribery is
the worst ana most shorIsighted OF poll
Cies. Let the plain people insist on the
one hand on governing themselves. and on
the other hand or doing exact justice TO
the RAILWAYS. Let tho big railroad man
scrupuously refrain from any effort to
influence politics or government save as
Ii is the duty OF every good citizen In
legitimate ways to try TO influence poll
tics and government: let the people as
a whole in their turn. remember that II
is their duty TO discriminate in the sharp
est way between tho railway man who
does well and the railway man who does
i'll; and. above all. 10 remember that the
irrcparablc moral narm done TO the body
whether the corruption takes the form
of blackmailing a big corporation or OF
corruptly doing it's bidding.
Makes Plea for Honesty,
What we have TO demand in ourselves
and In our public servants is honesty
dishonesty because we think il is c&er-
ciscd III the interests OF the people. we
may rest assured that the mar thus
showing II lacks only the opportunity to
exercise II against the interests OF the
people. The man who occasion Will
corruptiy do what Is wrong In the inter-
ests OF a big corporation Is the very man
eager 10 blackmail that corporation as the
opportunity arises The man who is oil
occa sion n corruptionist. is ant. when the
gust OF popular feeling blows hard against
To he the loudest, most reckless. and
most violent among those who denounCe
them. Hunt such man out OF public
Hfc. Hunt him on: as remcrselessy II
lie is Il blac';mIlcr as If nc stands cor
ruptly for speCiaI privileges Demand
esty-ahsolute. unninching honesty
together with courage and common sense.
e. public servant and in business man
alike. Make II evident that YOU will NOT
tolerate I'm public nfe man who disCriDl-
mates tor or against any other, save a.
justice and reason demand IL. aud that
IN your attitude toward business men.
toward ttc men who arc dealing with The
great financial interests OF the country.
willie YOU intend 70 secure = sharp rcCls-
ouinE for tho WrCnedocTs. YOU also in
tend heartily 20 favor the men who in
lc.IJi1Iat. ways are doing good work in
the business communicative railway
president. the traffic manager, or other
official high or low. who Is doing all IL,
his power 70 Tandle his share I'm a vast
and complicated business 20 the front
alike OF the stockholdnr and the general
public.
Let the nan pl great wealth remember
that. while usirs and enjoying II, he must
nevertheless :rel that he Is in q sense
a trustee and that consistent misuse