The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-30
Railroads Conduct an Investi-
CATION of Their Own.
Find That People of Kansas
Stand by Roosevelt.
NIKE A CROP REPORT
Sentiment Is Secured in Every
Locality.
Public Want the Comparisons
Brought to Time.

A movement was started recently by
some of the large railroad systems of
the country, particularly those trav-
ersing the west, to discover the correct
attitude of the public toward Presi-
dent Roosevelt's policy concerning
| the regulation of railroad affairs by
| the federal government 1t has prov
ed so successful that it is now being
adopted generally by all of the rail-
roads OF the country. The greatest
secrecy has been maintained in OBJ
tanning the desired Information. From
a leak from a high channel, however,
there has drifted out the news that
the information gathered by the rail-
ROADS mas not been of a character to
reassure those executive officers of
the systems who opposed the Roose-
welt policies and the recent investiga-
tons which have been incident to
them.
In fact. it is admitted by those who
have been getting this information
that throughout the west, at any rate
the president is even stronger today
lnan ne was before the Roosevelt
Hartman controversy As one rail-
way official who holds high position
with one of the big systems put it:
Just now the public seems to be in
frame of mind to believe everything
President Roosevelt says and to dis
credit anything Hartman, or anyone
else, might say on the opposite side
In my mind. beyond question. the
president was at fault In denouncfnp
at this time Debs, Meyer and Hav7
wood as undesfra BILE citizens. but
from what we can learn his statement
mas gone a long way toward helping
MN out or an awkward position"
The method which has been ADOPT
ed by the railroads to sound public
sentiment is similar to that used in
gathering crop reports. Orders are
sent to each and every stationmast er
p q
and report on the sentiment Of the
people as he finds it in his particular
neigh borhood
The fact that a railroad in the west
that a company like the Atchfson. To
peka & Santa Fe, operating over 600
miles OF road, has at its command
more than 1000 widely scattered secret
agents, while the Rcck Island and
Frisco systems, operating over 5000
miles, has nearly 1000, and the Missouri
Pacific has about $500 In the east
for example, station to every three
miles is counted. giving the PennsyI-
vania about $500 of such sources of
information and the New York Central
and allied Vanderbilt system about T.
600.
As railway stations are decidedly he
most popular gathering places IN small
towns, the work set for employees in
sounding public opinion on any subject
is comparatively easy task. The in
quarters in condensed form.
In the larger places, where the whole
population of the town does not turn
out to meet the trains, the travelling
freight and passenger agents have been
directed to ask question regarding the
feeling towards President Roosevelt.
In his regular rounds, the freight or
passenger agent picks out his man
slaps him on the back and asks:
How do you all feel about Roose-
welt down this way and the attitude
he has taken towards the railroads.
According to the testimony Of one
perience lin the field the usual reply
to such a question is:
Nothing but Roosevelt He'll beat
anybody else a city block"
From what can be learned there is
a absolutely no doubt in the minds of
those railway oficers-and these Of
hcers in question are the heads of the
systems-who have taken the trouble
to inform themselves of public senti-
ment that the great majority of the
voters are with President Roosevelt
in his efforts to correct corporation
abuses, and particularly those of the
railroads. One railway man, who has
made II a point to keep in
close touch with the territory served
by his road through a well organized
stationmaster bureau, even to finding
out what building is being done in
each town. however small, says that
for years he has been watching the
present movement against the rail-
roads grow
LAS a rule, the American people are
long suffering" he said. but this
situation was bound to come. In my
opinion the next presidential cam
paign will narrow down gradually to
an issue between the country at
large and the Wall street methods in |
and railroad manage
ment Whether or not they will go
too far in attempting to correct GER |
tain abuses remains to be seen. They
usually do
When told what other railroads
were doing to post themselves as to |
the political situation. and asked |
why he did not establish an informa- |
ton bureau. a prominent official of |
one large system smiled and said:
1--WE have one"
So far as can be learned here the |
has not actually become
sufTi cientIy general among the rail-
roads to cover the entire country Yet !
the information obtained by those /
roads which have adopted the plan
leads to the belief that the public is 1
behind President Roosevelt. On this |
point the railway men seem agreed. |
although many of them are reluctant |
TO admit it.