The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-03-10
ROOSEVELT, THE MAGNATES
AND THE BIG RAILROADS

NJ. "a FclleSSs'S State Of Wisconsin
ulSy not he worrying much. for they
have already been appraised under
State law ana this may satisfy the
Interstate Commerce Commission The
new provision. whatever il may be,
VIII noS mean that sn railroads must
ee appraised as was originally pro-
posed by Mr.. la Folleste. 50 that there
could hs substantial foundation upon
which 70 estimate what freight and
passenger charges should be, but 1t
does nleSa that wacsrsi securities Of
railroads viii have difhcul,y in passing
muster with Treasury officials as basis
for emergency currency notes 70 be IS
sued by national banks
Incidentally the entire transaction
demonstrates how Mr.. La Toilette Is
bScoruinS power in the United States
Senate. he is s little man in stature.
Srd when the Senate virtually ostra-
Cizei him for his independent views
Sni his determination 70 advance them.
he sri1tsd his teeth and kept right on.
But he insisted OF putting Senators
OF record and fought through the
deadly roIlcalls- Some OF the older
Senators saw long ago that he must
Be -eSkoned with Certainly more Will
- heard Of Is Toilette
Re IS radical Republican snd proud
q f. 50 IS President Roosevelt and
says 50. The conservatives DO not like
his little ways. But. entirely apart
from The merits OF what M La Fol-
- ~, = =
lively because he catches the favor OF
the great Western constituencies. He
i strong Up and down the Mississippi
valley. where Roosevelt is also strong.
He Is strong because he is fighting
railroads and other big corporations
where he thinks they &rs doing wrong.
The same Is true o: President Roose-
vslC- Eight years ago the politicians
were saying nearly the same things Of
Theodore Roosevelt thst they are now
saying about Is Toilette. which does
not necessarily mean that La Toilette
: as S0es, s man IS Roosevelt or will
BE- Il is simply stated 70 show that
the man = setting ahead in Wash
5rgtOl because OF the ideas he advo-
Gates in season and out OF season
The railroad officials. who are now
-ocSing 70 Washington. come as sup
plants rather than as antagonists. in
which latter role they tocksi 70 Wash
i-gtoa TWO years ago Then they Or
sa1ized big Hobbies here Expensive
attorneys took % winter residence in
TIE highest priced hotels and there
was much coming and going They
were defiant. or most Of them were
Now. they are pleading for clensncy
s1i for consiisra1s treatment They
say that earnings have decreased. that
dividends are being cut. 50 that the
stockholders already have 70 suffer
from the Industrial depression Then
Why should not the wage earnsrs share
IN The loss. rather than take il al out
Of The stockholders pockets or even
to7ce The railroads into bankruptcy7
One railroad system. already in
Bankruptcy, Is trying 70 reduce wages
the SssoOari Air Line. with thou
sands OF miles OF tracks extending
from Washington down into Florida
The federal courts are likely TO ap-
prove E reduction Of wages there, with
the result that the federal sduiliStrz-
oon can not interfere The outcome
Is awaited with Interest in the railroad
world The whole question OF railroad
economics and the question OF the part
that railroads have in furthsring OF
restricting the prosperity Of the c0un-
Cry a-s under serious discussion Some
say that the natural laws Of commerce
have bssn interfsrsi with 5y elastic
legislation and therefore the railroads
have been ul5uly fetterei- Il Is IN
touotsily serious matter. FOR the
railroads make much fo- the veal OF
woe Of the people Il they are not
allowed 10 charge as much as they
ought 70 charge for traffic. the public
has 70 suffer in the long run
Things may come 70 e pass where
the people VIII have 70 ask the most
cordial cooperation Of the railroads. 70
help bring prosperity backlg The whole
country Is praying for IL. There are
soup kitchens in hundreds bf American
towns and cities al the Present time
Very little IS being said EoOut them in
the respective localities II with the
oouing % spring and simmer there IS
10 revival Of business, the railroads
may come in for some sympathy. es-
DecizIy II It can be proven that they
have not been given = square dear
al r0und and as z Consequence have
lot contributed as much as they could /
have contributed. IL lei alone. 70 the /
cOuntry's Industrial activity and 70 the ]
FL ploymslt Of laborinz people
Their complaints 70 Congress and 70 /
TIE administration al this tine, extend i
20 Other causes than have been men
-loce6- Railroad presidents have been
warning the Offices Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission. pleading for al
extension Of the time when the nine
hour law for tslsEaphers shall % into
'ps-ati0u- That was enacted sometime
.so 70 b=cons operative March nex-
2zil-Oe6 operators TOW IN interstate
i0uns-ce work often twelve hours and
1o-s z day II Is. Of course. too long
-hs railroads claim they can not get
l. extra operators Perhaps. that
01tenrioa i open 70 doubt for many
Did operators are waking the streets
u q job The real objection, per
zQs. IS that il would entail much ex-
= expense AZ Z time, when the rail-
1ads cz1 u afford that expense.
The rsil1oa6 presidents coming 20
are likewise kicking
oouc ths employers liability bills.
o. before Congress, soma one q
hich Is % b enacted before ths ses-
u Is over But that IS one % the 1
-1O- railroad plants being sounded 0