The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-01

ship of anything which can with pro-
priety be left in private hands, and in
particular 1 should most strenuously
object to government ownership OF
railroads. But 1 believe with equal
firnness that it Is out of the question
| for the government not to exercise a
| supervisory and regulatory right over
| the railroads; for ii is vital to the well
| being of the public that they should
be united in spirit of fairness and
| justice toward the public. Actual ex-
| perience has shown that it is not pos
| sible to leave the railroads uncon-
| trolled. Such a system, or rather such
| a lack of system, is fertile in abuses of
| every kind, and puts premium upon
| INSCRIPTIONS and ruthless cunning in
| railroad management; for there are
| some big shippers and some railroad
| managers who are always willing to
| take unfair advantage of their weaker
| competitors and they thereby force
| other big shippers and big railroad
! men who would like to do decently,
I into similar acts of wrong and inJus-
! tice, under penalty of being left behind
| in the race for success. Government
! supervision is needed quite as much in
! the interest of the big shipper and of
! the railroad man who wants to do
right as in the interest of the small
| shipper and the consumer.
Experience has shown that the pres
| ent laws are defective and need amend
ment. The effort to prohibit all restraint
of competition, whether reasonable or
is to have some administrative body
with ample power to forbid combination
that is hurtful to the public and to pre-
vent favoritism to one individual at the
expense of another. In other words, we
want an administrative body with the
power to secure fair and just treatment
as among all shippers who use the rail-
roads-and all shippers have right to
use them.
Commission With Power
thing to do is to give to this admins
trative body power to make it's findings
effective, and this can be done only by
giving it power, when complaint is made
of given rate as being unjust or un-
reasonable, if it finds the complaint
rate which it regards as just and rea-
sonable, this rate to go into effect prac- |
tically at once, that is within a reason |
able time. and to stay in effect unless |
reversed by the courts 1 earnestly |
hope that we shall see a law giving this |
power passed by congress.
IF there is in the minds of the COM |
mission any suspicion that certain |
railroad is in any shape or way giving |
rebates, or behaving improperly, 1 wish |
the commission to have power as a |
matter of right, not as a matter of |
favor. to make full and exhaustive in
vestigation of the rates and expendi-
lures of the railroad, so that any evas-
ion of the law may be detected. This
is not a revolutionary proposal on my
part, for I only wish the same power
given in reference to railroads tina is now
exercised as a matter of course by the
national bank examiners as regards ma
tional banks My object in giving
these additional powers to the admins
trative body representing the govern
ment-the interstate commerce COM
mission, or whatever it may be-is pri-
marily to secure real and not sham
control to the government representa-
tives. The American people abhor
sham, and with this adherence 1 cor
daily sympathfze. Nothing is more in
furious from every standpoint than
law which is merely sound and fury,
merely pretence, and not capable of
working out tangible results. 1 hope to
see all the power that think it ought
to have granted to the government; but
1 would far rather see only some of it
granted but really granted-than see a
pretense of granting all in some shape,
that really amounts to nothing.
Treat Railroads Fairly.
1T must be understood, a matter
of course that if this power is granted
it is to be exercised with wisdom and
caution and self restriction. The inter
state commerce commissioner or other
government official who fails to protect
a railroad that was in the right
against any clamor, no matter how
on the part of the public would
be guilty of as gross a wrong as If he
corruptly rendered improper service
to the railroad at the expense of the
public. Further. l say a square deal,
I mean square deal: exactly as much
a square deal for the rich man as for
the poor man; but no more. Let each
stand on his merits, receive what is due
him. and be judged according to his
deserts
His Washington Address.
In his address to railroad employees in
this city, November IA, 1905, the presi-
dent said:
There has been comparatively little
as whole too high. The most serious
that have been made to
ne have been of improper discr1m1na-
lion in railroad rates. For instance, in
oorationS the complaints that have been
made to me have been that they are
100 low as regards certain big ship ;
0ers; the complaint in both these cases
s about the differential, the difference
IF treatment of two sets of users of ,
he railways, the difference in favor of
'ne set of shippers as against another /
;et of SINNERS . y . = . :
IF you will look at my Raleigh speech
md my other recent utteranceS you will :
zee my principles clearly set forth. !
lave said again and again that would !
let tolerate for one moment any IN 3
Justice to a railroad any more than 1
would tolerate any injustice by rail-
Dad. 1 have said again and again !
nat L Wou4o ieiiIONe PuOlIS OtAS1c 6
Who improperly yielded to any public
,lamor against railroad, no matter
low popular that clamor might be, !
ust as quickly as 1 would remove
public official who rendered an impro- 4
,er service to the railroad at the ex-
,ense of the public. But am convinc-
d that there must be an increased
egulatory and supervisory power ex-
rcised by the government over the L
always. Indeed 1 would like it exer-
Used to a much greater extent than
lave any idea of pressing at the mo-
nent For instance, / would greatly