The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-14
earned does not have to go to paying

NuulQ DeHeIlt lHe bnlpptE pcSdutt WHeH only honest stockholders have to be paid interest rates need not be im- properly raised. It would benefit the public because there would be ample money with which 10 give efficient ser vice. Similarly. the prevention of fav- oritism as among shippers does no damage to any one who Is honest. and confers great good upon the smaller business man and the farmer. whom it relieves of oppression. Again such su- pervislon of accounts and management as will prevent crookedness and op- pression works good. directly or indi- rectly, to all honest people. Therefore everything that can be done along all these lines should be done: and no mans legitimate interest would there by be hurt But after this point has been reached great care must be exer- cised not to work injustice to one class In the effort to show favor to another class, and each class naturally tends to remember only It's own needs The stockholders must receive an ample re- turn on their investments. or the rail roads cannot be built and successfully maintained; and the rates to shippers and the wages to employees, from the highest to the lowest must all be con- ditioned upon this fact. On the other hand, in a public service corporation we have no right to allow such excess sive profits as will necessitate rates be- ing unduly high and wages unduly low. Again, while in all proper ways rates must be kept low, we must always re- member that VIC have no right and no justification to reduce them when the result is the reduction of the wages of the great army of railroad men "A fair working arrangement must be de- vised according to the needs of the sev- eral cases, SO that profits, wages and rates shall each be reasonable with reference to the other two-and In wages include the properly large amounts which should always he paid to those whose masterful ability Is re- qulred for the successful direction of great enterprises. Combinations which favor such an equitable arrangement should themselves be favored and not forbidden by law: although they should be strictly supervised by the govern ment through tho interstate commerce commission. which should have the power of passing summarily upon not only the question of the reduction but the raising of rates
 This railroad problem ls itself one lnf 70 l> and most intricate problems of our civ ilization; for its proper solution ws need not merely honesty and courage. but Judgment, good sense. and entire fair -mndedness Demaeoey In such matter is as certain to work evil as corruption itself The man who prom ises to raise the wages of railroad em- ployes 10 the highest point and at the same time to reduce rates to the low | est point is promising what neither he nor anyone else can perform and if the effort to perform l. were attempt l cd disaster would result to both ship per and wage worker. and ruin to the business interests of the country The man to trust in such 3 matter as this | is the man like Judge Taft who does not promise too much, but who could not | be swayed from the path of duty by any argument, by any consideration. who will wage relentless var on the successful ong-doer among railroad men as among all other men who will do all that can be done to secure le- gitimately low rates to shippers and absolute evenness among the rates | thus secured but who will neither | promise nor attempt to secure rates so low that the wage -earner would lose | his earnings and the shareholder. whose money built the road, his prof 1 It's He will not favor runous ex- pertinent like government ownership of railways. he will stand against any kind of confscation of honestly ac- quired property but he will work ef- | fectIvely for the most efficient type of government supervision and control of railways. so as to secure just and fair treatment of the people as whole.
 What Is here said as to his attitude on the railway question applies to the whole question of the trusts. He will
 promise nothing on this subject unless he firmly believes he can make his promise good. He will go into no chim. erical movement to destroy all great business combinations; for this can on ly be done by destroying all modern business but he will in practical fash ion do everything possible to secure | e1i onrfro1 hnho1f nf A people as whole, over these great combinations as will deprive them of the power to work evil Mir. Tafts decision in the Addystone Pipe Line case while on the bench is proof, by deeds not by words, of the far sighted wisdom with which he serves the interests of the whole people even when those of the most powerful corporations are hostile thereto,
 If there Is one body of men more than another whose support l feel l have a right to challenge on behalf of Secretary Taft 1t Is the body of wage workers of the country. A stauncher friend, fairer and truer representative they cannot find within the borders of the United States. He will do every thing In his power for them except 10 do that which is wrong; he will do wrong for no man, and therefore can be trusted by all men. During the ten years of my intimate acquaintance with him, since I have myself, as governor and president, been obliged to deal practically with labor problems, he has been one of the men upon whose judg- ment and aid I could always rely in