Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-02
IF IN RIGHT WHY NOT PROCEED ?
A Plain, Comprehensive Statement
of Presidents Idea OF His Duty
To Public and Railroads.

| therein
| outlined"
The portions of his speeches ana
messages which the President marked
ere as follows:
In his address at Raleigh, the Presi-
dent said:
II DO not believe in government
! ownership Of anything which can with
rr"iri3ty be left IN lI.vHtr hands ana
in particular [ should most st:,nuOuSIy
object to government ownership OF
| railroads. But l believe with equal
| !ir.nncSS tia. it is cut If the question
| for the government not to exercise a
supervisory All regulatory right over
! the railroad; for il is vital to tine we'll
being Of the public that they should be
managed in a spirit of fairness ana
justice toward all the public. Actual
| experience has shown that il Is NOT
| possible to leave the railroads unCCn-
trolled. such Il system. or rather such
Il lack Of system, Is fertile in abuses of
! every kind and puts a premium upon
unScrupUlous and ruthless cunning in
railroad management; for there are
some Ing shippers ana some railroad
, managers who ara always wiling IL
| take unfair advantage Of their W@akt:
Competitors. and they THEREBY force
other big shippers and big railroad
men. who would like to do Geccut{v
into similar acts Of wrong ami inius-
, ticr. under penalty Of being left behind
IN thn race for success. Government
supervision is needed quite as much
in the interest Of the big shipper ana
of the railroad men who want to do
in int Of
snippcr ana the consumer.
"EXperience has shown that the
present laws are defective ana need
amendment. The effort Ia prohibit Iii
restraint Of competition, whether. rca-
sona'le or unreasonable, is rnwise
What We need is to have some
administrative body with annie
power to forbid combination tina,
is hurtfal 70 the public, ana to
mn vent favoritism to enc individual i 4
the expense Of another In other words
we want an administrative body With
the power to secure fair and lust treat
ment as among all shippers VINO use
the railroads-and all shippers have n
right to use them. : " 2 PM in
my Judgment the most important thing
to do is to give to this administrative
body power to make it's findings eff
fcctivc and this can be done only by
giving 1t power when complaint is
made of given rate as being unjust.
or unreasonable. if il finds the com
plant proper, then itself to fix a mini
mum rate which it regards as Just and
reasonable, this rate to 90 into effect
practically ut once. that is, within a
reasonable time and to stay in effect
unless reversed by the courts. earn
eStly hope that we Shall see a law Civ
ing this power passed by Congress
If q certain cailroad is in
any shape or way giving rebates or
behaving improperly. ! wish the COM
mission to have power as Il matter of
right. not as 4 matter Of favor to make
a full ana exhaustive investigation Of
the receipts and expenditures of the
railroad so that any violation or eva
sion Of the law may be detected. This
is not 4 revolutionary proposal on my
part for | only wish the same power
given in reference to railroads that is
now exercised as a matter of course by
THE national bank examiners as regards
national banks. My object in giving
these additional powers to the adj
| ministrative body representing the gov
ernmcnt-thc interstate Commerce
Commission. or whatever it may be
is primarily to secure a real and not
sham control to the government repre-
sentatives. The American people alb
her a sham and with this adherence |
ollially sympathize. Nothing is
more injurious from every standpoint
| than a law which is merely sound
! fury. merely pretense. and not capable
of working out tangible results. l
! hope to see all the power that l think
it ought to have granted to the gov
eminent; but l would far rather see
only some Of it granted, but really
granted, than see pretense Of grant
| ing all in some shape, that really
amounts TO nothing.
1T must be understood. as a matter
OF course. that if this power is granted.
it is to be exercised with wisdom and
caution and self-restraint The Inter-
state Commerce commissioner or other
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