The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-03-14
GOOD COMMON SENSE.
Should Prevail in the Management
of the Railroads.

The best of relations should exist
between the public and the railroads
of this country. Their interests are
mutual; closely interviewer. Trans
portation facilities are all-important
A town without railroad nowadays
amounts to nothing.
1t is to be regretted that circum-
stances have arisen that have
wrought an estrangement between
the public and the railroad corpora
tons. The sooner the causes for this
arrangement are eliminated the bet
ter it will be for all concerned
The many railway horrors occur
ring in rapid succession all over the
country are arousing an intense feel
ing of hostility to railroad methods
and railroad indifference and arro-
gance which bodies no good. The
public is not given to philosophizing
and considering deeply all the condi-
tons entering into the cause of fire.
quent accidents accompanied with
wholesale fatalities. The fact that
they are multiplying rapidly and the
slaughter is correspondingly increas-
ing, incites an evaporation that
leaves little room for calm reasoning.
A correspondent in the New York
World in expressing his wrought up
feelings illustrates the situation and
unintentionally gives a warning to
railroad companies as to what is in
store for them if they don't mend
their ways. He writes:
Why stop at calling attention to
the crime; why not point out the
cause and ofcr remedy?
"Here is the trouble: Inflated stock
issues on which dividends are paid.
Instead of the earnings of the roads
being employed to make the roads
safe for transportation the earnings
are used for dividend purposes. The
properties must be handled this way,
otherwise no occasional new stock
issues, rights and other perquisites to
the favored few.
after ten years of the greatest
prosperity this country has ever gone
through, here are our railroads dehc-
lent in equipment and in such brok-
en-down physical condition that they
are not able to perform the functions
for which they were created.
Here is the remedy: Have the
state appoint commission to exam.
inc into the physical condition of all
railroads and public-utility corpora
tons and prohibit the paying of any
stock dividends until the roads and
properties are, in such condition as
to enable them to at least safely and
efficiently perform the functions for
which they were given the publ.
highways"
To this the Wheeling Register
adds: "As the breach widens between
the public and the railways such ideas
as are embodied in the above become
more and more common and bitter.
lis there no means of restoring the en-
tente cordiale between them? Other
wise the breakers ahead will become
bigger and draw closer to the wreck
ing point What is in the way of the
railroad company doing business in
the same manner as the successful
merchant, or manufacturer? He must
make friends and please his customers
if he wants to prosper. He can Meth
er act the hog, nor be so independent
as to tell his prospective patrons to
go to the devil if his wares do not
please, bit more than the patient
can dismiss the doctor if he wants to
get we'll. The railroad corporation
which voluntarily stays outside of the
community of interests is taking great
risks these days. Conditions are such
that the good will of the public Is an
important asset in raj lway's re-
sources. How is this good will to be
attained? 1t looks hard, but it is be-
cause no attention has been given to
the matter. 1t is this: Get in touch
with the public; make friends with II
instead of antagonizing it; don't be
arrogant because you think you are
so powerful that consideration and
courtesy have no relation whatever
to railway management. The manage
ment must seek peace with the pub
lie" in order to attain the greatest
measure of success. To do 1t may
curtail dividends somewhat in order
to give a better and safer service. But
even so, that is preferable to hos
tile public with all the harm it sig
nihes and all the mischief it can do,
and is likely to do unless there is
restoration of mutual confidence and
good feeling"