Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-05-13
RECIPROCITY FOR
The RAILROADS
JupsoN HARMON SPEAKS FROM
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
ASKS SQUARE DEAL FOR ALL
Character of the Railroad Makes Con-
troll of 1t a Public as Well as a
Private Trust-Shipper Does Wrong
When He Takes as Long as He
Pieases to Load a Car.

Cincinnati, May 10-At a banquet
given by the National Supply and Ma
chinery associations last night Jud-
ences cf a Lawyer in the Railroad
Business.
Mr., Harmon told how in 1905 he
found himself almost without notice.
in sole charge. under court-orders, OF
8, 500 miles of railway running through
four states and the Province of On
tario. He told of the struggle to
meet the exegencies of the situation
and of his after experiences for
year and a half. 1t was at time
when railroad legislation was be
ginning to attract attention and the
enforcement of existing laws was a
subject of strenuous attention. Mr..
Harmon had maintained that rail
roads could be conducted without
breaking wholesome laws, so at the
very start he said: "The public
character of a railroad makes the
private trust in every hand that IDS
4, whether the hand be chosen by
court or otherwise. This truth has
been too long neglected and storm
signals are flying. Let 1t be under
stood that there are no favors going,
open or secret, but that it is fare and
fare alike all around. And if the
property and business committed to
me by the courts shall suffer from this
cause, either at the hands of public
officials or those of rival lines, the
reason will be plain to wayfarins
man and the lesson will be worth to
the country all it costs"
Mr.. Harmon said that the people did
not take him seriously at first but
that finally, when the people found
l was really in earnest and that all
were treated fairly and alike they
LOYALTY supported me. There are al
ways some human porkers to Whom
things taste better underground IN
the dirt but there are not many OF
them among our people. If special ia
vors are going they all want some, o.,
course, but they are always content
with an even chance. If | lost Dusl-
ness by the course l took, there was
No evidence of it, Then it was my
luck, perhaps I might claim a slight
share of credit for it, that the general
awakening shortly came to my aid.
Il soon found more cars were need
ed and l secured authority TO get
A, them asked for bids from builders.
They said they had no space. Space,
I said. 4 have plenty OF space.
want cars to run through it. Then
the railroad tenderfoot found they
meant room on the list of orders. AT
last / got four thousand new oox
cars. / could have loaded every one
right where they were built. But no,
| I sent them all empty to home sta
tons and divided them as fairly as
could among waiting shippers In
two weeks they were scattered all
over the Union and the cry was still
| for more. / coaxed and threatened
and did all could to get them back,
but those that came were right on
again as before. A region which
produces more shipped articles than
it consumes, of course, sends out
more loaded cars than it receives.
So cars tend to accumulate on trunk
lines and in the great commercial
centers. And when cars are scarce
the temptation is to load them, when
ever they are found, for no matter.
where, instead of loading so as to
start them homeward."
Mr. Harmon then spoke of the
shippers part in the distressing mat
ter of car shortage. Although the
ownership and control of railroads
are private their business so con
Germs the public that it may be regu-
lated by law, with due regard to the
interest Of the owners, and service on
fair and equal terms is a right COM
mon to all people.
Then are you not dong a public
wrong, asked Mr. Harmon. when you
take as long as you please to load
and IN. DAD cars? You do not get the
right to use cars for storage by pay
ing demurrage charges. Both you
and the railroads would be guilty un-
der the law if you should make such
a bargain Those charges are not
rentals but merely penalties to make
you prompt They are not 1.-THE
of what the cars would earn in
freight and still less part of the
loss you are infiicting on your neigh