The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-03-26

~ t,e d,y. q, - the ic.t tat II .
desirable nl ,se, na,e tantiI.
understanding all. tic pe5lc.
'Tllaf Is c%aei.y ~hsf Tie priiic. -
rs cart. Ia ec<i-.d 81 -" railroads.
f,r pcIcratt n-sa understanding
Long inforc i'rc.fdcf., Fi1lrt DcSfu
his 4cr:c. of God bless the Souta"
pcechc-. before fIH1 ana Irsrrin.~n
acquired their present reputation o.
expert after-dinner economists. tire
public was desiring facts about rail-
roads. it desired them in vain. The
adage that silence was wisdom found
nowhere such picturesque eXemplli-
cation as in the attitude Of the raj
roads towards the public. Even the
most trivial circumstance Of policy or
incident was hedgcd about with m$7-
terry. \ railroad president trod as a.
were on the air above the heads II
the people. wrapped in clouds Of
Opaque thought. II was under such
conditions that the railroads grew.
expanded. followed the policy Of over
capitalization and unjust charS=s
which is causing them to clamor Tor
an understanding" During long
years the public asked to be taken
into confidence. IT asked at first tim
idly. as a favor: rcbuTcd. it COM
mcnccd u assert that it had righ'a.
silence gave way to contempt and The
public request became q demand Al
last. with no help from the railroadS
the public came to an understanding
on its own account. It may not be ~
perfect an analysis rs might have fol-
lowed had the railroads been more
frank. but it WAS the only recourse
tina was ieft.
Now. that it has seen that the peo-
pie have understood for themselves.
President Finley ana others have
been going about. dealing in matAo-
NAUTICAL metaphysics and psychologi-
cal economics. ana in a burst OF ora
tory and love and patriotism. declar-
ing that all the railroads desire is to
he understood" That is just t.
What do they offer in return, and on
What is the understanding" predi-
Gated" We are given no fact. no IN
formation. We are sustained with
~ - -
4 sentiment served Up at u banque-
When the desire to be understood and
sympathiZed with is examined into.
it is discovered that sympathy implies
license: that mutual understanding
means hands off TN" railroads. TIC
difference is that in the old days the
assertion was that the public might as
well stand out of the way or get run
over: now the same end is sought in
a more contrite spirit. but it is the
same end. The lins of the railroad
presidents are unlocked SO far as u
make 4 sound, but they arc still
sealed 50 far as the vital questions
which have led the people to think
and act for themselves.
From time to time we have printed
the marx of President Finley.
made at this banquet and the other.
To all practical purposes these occt-
might have been faithfully re
ported by repeating II speech he
made in Raleigh TO the Public Service
Corporations committee. Mr.. Fin
ley pleads for ''conidence." He dep
recates the "prevailing spirit of dis
trust He sees in the people
of this country-and especially OF
the S~ouJh-brainy. broad-minded'
patriotic citizens who love fai1
play. and Who he does not
believe will DESTROY IL poo and hard
struggling railroad. He draws a
pathetic picture. lin sweeping. impress
sionistic iines) Of the plight of II rail-
road overcome by the marvellous pros
perity and energy of q people. He
shows how this prosperity Will make
the railroad poor unless it y nourlsh-
ed. and unless its Shortcomings are
put up with. by rendering ii impossible
for it to borrow II He asserts
that The railroad is straining every
nerve. is eXpending fabulous sums
which have not Vet been expended be-
cause they have not vet been borrow
ed except on paper, and he tells with
the earnestncss Of Il prophet that I'M
less this suspicion can be aitayed. un-
less the people are willing to trust the
road-as the road trusts the people
road, but to the very prosperity which
has swamDed it.
But there are u umbe Of things
which Nil. Finley has time to
answer. He can never. tor instance,
explain how it is that the service is 50
Mretchcd. Nor why it is that freight
rates are SO high. Nor what has
become of the money supposedly in
vested in the physical property &C
cording to It's ca1ital returns. Nor
why it is and in What amounts the
road has spent hundreds Of thous-
ands Of dollars in illiegitinlate direct
ions. Nor Why it has been thought
necessary among so patriotic 3 poo
pie to ATTEMPT to control politics. Nor
when the average passenger fare
is less than TWO cents a mile. 4 educ
ton 70 Two and a quarter cents viii
spell bankruptcy. IN North Carolina
the people want to understand par
ticularly why it is that Virginia cities
are favored in freight rates: Why a
shipment over u haul longer by nun
drcds of miles reaches Virginia cities
ut Il freight charge nearly one hun