The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-09

should have complete power to, see that
the railroads do their duty by the public
and as matter of course this power
should also be exercised so as 10 see that
no injustice is done TO the railroadn. The
shareholders. the employees and the ship
perS all have interests that must be
guarded, 1t is to the interest of all Of
them that no swindling stock speculation
Should be allowed. and that there should
be no improper issuance of securities
= The guiding intelligences necessary y
y for the successful building and sue \
= cessful management of railroads y
y should receive ample remuneration; y
= but no man should be allowed 10 \
+ make money in connection with rail- 4
y roads out of fraudulent over-capital- y
= ization and kindred stock gambling y
y performances: there must be no de- \
= fraUding of investors, oppression OF :
= the farmers and business men who 3
y ship freight, or callous disregard of \
4 the rights and needs of the employees. y
In addition to this. the interests of the
shareholders, of the employees and of the
shippers should all be guarded as against
one another. To give any one of them
undue and improper consideration is to
DO injustice to the others. Rates must
be made as low as is compatible with Civ
ing proper returns to all the employees of
the railroad, from the highest to the low
est, and proper returns TO the sharehold-
ers, but they must not, for instance. be
reduced in such fashion as TO necessitate
a cut in the wages of the employees or the
abolition OF the proper and legitimate
profits of honest shareholders.
Telegraph and telephone companies y
= engaged in interstate business should =
= be put under the jurisdiction of the \
= Interstate commerce commission. =
Time for Action.
1t is very earnestly to be wished that
our people. through their representative
should act in this matter 1t is hard TO
say whether most damage to the country
at large would come from entire failure
on the part of the public to supervise and
control the actions of the great corpora
tons, or from the exercise of the neces-
sary governmental power in a way which
would do injustice and wrong to the cor
porauonS- Both the preachers of an I'M
restricted individualism. and the preach
ers of an oppression which would DENY
to able men of business the lust reward
or their initiative and business sagacity.
are advocating policies that would be
whole country To permit every =
iawless capitalist, every law-defyinc i
corporation, to take any action. no =
= matter how Ubiquitous. in the effort =
10 secure an improper profit and TO =
Dulld up privilege, would be ruinous r
10 the republic and would mark the b
abandonment OF the effort to secure y
IN the Industrial world the spirit of =
democratic fair-dealing. On the +
other hand, to attack these wrongs l.
= IN that spirit of demRgOgy which can =
y see wrong only when committed by =
the man OF wealth, and is dumb and r.
Diind IN the presence of wrong COM 4
united against men of property or by =
men or no property. is exactly as evil 4
as corruptly to defend the wronsdo- +
ing OF men of wealth. The war we +
wage must be waged against mis- i
= conduct. against wrCr gdoing wher- =
ever 1t Is found. and we must stand l.
y heartily for the rights OF every de- =
y cent man, whether he be a man of +
e great wealth or man who earns J.
y his livelihood as a wageworker or a =
y tiller of the soil.