The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-30
Chairman of Rock Island Exec utivo Committee Tells St. Louis Traffic Club Poli-
 cies Are Sound.
BLAMES THE POLITICIANS
Says Managers Approve Much of the Recent Lcgislation--frccdom from Further Restriction
 Necessity.

Sl. LOUIS, Mo', AIlll Ej.- IHiHC olu- cers of thirteen railroads were guests or the St. Louis Traffic club tonight at a banquet of 200 covers. The princi- pal addresses were delivered by B. F. Yoakum, chairman of the executive copmittee of the Rock Island system, R. D. Caldwell, vice-ptesidcnt of the freight trafiic manager of the Lehigh Valley railroad MT. Yoakum spoke in part as follows;
 There has never been a time in the history of our country when the mass es so well understood the relations of tho railroads to the public or so fully realized the difficulties and hardships to which the railroads arc subjected, This Is tle natural outcome of the con- ditions of today which arc calling for q more careful study of the railroad situation than ever before. The rail- roads handle the commerce and com modities of tho nation; and, therefore, every man, woman and child has an in- terest in this question
 All the states and territories of the Union, barring the New England States, need more railroads.
 Increased mileage west of the Mis- sissippi not only means the develop ment of that rapidly growing country but with it will come the deepening of the waterway of the Mississippi river And in this connection I wish to say that the railroads of this country are not. as far as my knowledge extends or posed to, but are in favor of the inn proyement of our water ways to aid and economize in the movement of its traffic,
 After careful consideration, every fair-minded nan must admit that the underlying principles of the policies laid down by the present administra. ton have been healthy and sound; but | the methods adopted in their applea- | ton have been hurtful, causing shrink. l age of values, and contributing to the falling off of business; and while the l treatment was heroic we should not overlook tho fact that probably midel | what was necessary for the healthy re | form of some of our hsuness condi 1 tions Under this leadership and policy 1 which was inaugurated to correct rath' ] CT than to disturb business, the poll. I ticians of different sections of the coun ] try took advantage of the situation and aided by disclosures of excesse' l in corporate management, carried thu agitation to a point where the Ameri can people ware arrayed against the in stitutions of the country, and whicl ] led to the enactment of unnecessary and radical laws. President Roosevel should not be held responsible for thest objectionable laws although they ma, lave partly resulted from his effort tt correct abuses and which have boel eliminated from our business methode On the contrary he should be givel due credit for what he has accomplish ed in the direction of the regulation O railroads through the enforcement O laws heretofore allowed to go unen
 forced. and the enactment of new laws The Hepburn act is not burdensome on the contrary the provision for i'm
 prieonment for granting or receiving
 rebates or discriminations in favor O
 one shipper against another, has me
 with the approval of both the railroa
 managers and the public the require
 ment for uniform accounting by tn
 railroads is in the right direction an
 the policy of publicity through report
 to the interstate commerce commissio
 has been prompt comprehensive an
 productive of good results.
 All this has been accomplished in
 comparatively short time. The countr | should now rest from further regula tive or restrictive laws, until the rail roads can adjust themselves to a com
 pliance with those which have bee enacted, This can be done throug cooperation of the railroads with tn interstate commerce commission What the people and the railroad now need Is a definite and fixed gov errmental policy that can be relic 5 upon, which will facilitate the procure ment of money by the railroads wit } which they may reinstate their in