The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-10-01

| istration in which he has played SO con-
| spicuous a part has done. But to Illus
| trate just what his attitude Is let me
| touch on two matters now prominent In
| the public mind.
| Mr. Taft can be trusted to exact Justice
from the railroads for the very reason
| that he can be trusted to do justice to the
! railroads. The railroads are the chief in
| struments Of interstate commerce in the
| country, and they neither be held to
| q proper accoun liability on the one hand
| nor given proper protection on the other
! save by the affirmative action of the fed
eral government. The law as laid down
| by the federal courts clearly shows that
| the states have not and cannot devise
laws adequate to meet the problems caus-
| ed by the great growth of the railroads
| doing an interstate commerce business,
| for more than four ffths of the business
| of the railroads is interstate, and under
the constitution of the United States only
the federal government can exercise con-
troll thereover. It Is absolutely necessary
that this control should be affirmative and
thoroughgoing.
All interstate business carried on by the
great corporations should in the interest
of the whole people be far more closely
supervised than at present by the national
government. but this IS especially true of
the railroads, which cannot exist at all
save by the exercise of powers granted
them on behalf of the people and which,
therefore should be held to peculiar ac-
countability to the people, 1t is in the in
terest Of the people that they should not
be permitted to do injustice. and it is no
less to the interest of the people that they
should not suffer injustice Their prime
purpose is to carry the commodities OF the
farmers and the business men. They could
not be built save for the money contrib
uted to them by their shareholders. They
could not be run at all save for the money
paid out in wages to the railroad employ
ees. and, finally, they could not BE run 1u
diciously or profitably to any one were it
not for the employment by them of some
masterful guiding Intelligence, whether of
one man or of a group of men. There are
therefore several sets of interests to be
considered. Each must receive proper con-
sideration. and when any one OF them
selfishly demands exclusive consideration
the demand must be refused. Along GER
tain lines all Of these groups have the
| same interests. 1t is to the interest Of
| shipper. farmer. wageworker business
man, honest shareholder and honest man
| ager alike that there should be economy.
| honesty, intelligence and fair treatment OF
| all. To put effective stop to stock wa
| tering would be benefit to everybody
| except the swindlers who profit by stock
| watering. 1t would benefit the honest
| shareholder because honest investments
| would not be brought into competition
| with mere paper. 1t would benefit the
| wageworker because when the money
| earned does not have to go to paying In
| terest on watered capital more of 1t IS
| left out of which to pay wages. 1t would
| benefit the shipper because, when only
! honest stockholders have to be paid inter
| est rates need not be improperly raised
! 1t would benefit the pubic because there
would be ample money with which to give
| efficient service. Similarly the prevention
| Of favoritism as among shippers does no
| damage to any one who is honest and con-
| eers great good upon the smaller business
| man and the farmer, whom it relieves of
| oppression.
| Again, such supervision of accounts and
/ management as will prevent crookedness
| md oppression works good, directly or In
Directly to all honest people. Therefore
! everything that can be done alcng all
| these lines should be done and no mans
| legitimate interest would thereby be hurl.
| But after this point has been reached
| great care must be exercised not TO work
! Injustice TO one class in the effort 10
| show favor to another class, and each
| class naturally tends to remember only
/ rs own needs. The stockholders must re-
| .eiye an ample return on their invest
| nents or the railroads cannot be punt
| Ind successfully maintained. and the
| rates to shippers and the wages 10 en-
| o,oyees. from the highest to the lowest
| On the other hand, in a public service
| sorporation we have no right to allow
| mch excessive profits as Will necessltate
rates being unduly high and wages IN
| luly low Again, while in all proper ways
sates must be kept low, we must Always
| remember that we have no rlght ana 40
| Justification to reduce them when the re
| ult is the reduction Of the wages OF the
| rreat army of railroad men. A fllf WoIk
ng arrangement must be devised accord
! np to the needs of the several cases. SO
| hat Profits wages and rates shall each
! he reasonable with reference TO the other
| xvo and in wages | include the properly
| arge amounts which should always De
,aid to those whose masterful abllity IS
| eouired for the successful direction CT
| treat enterprises. CombinatioEs Wh2ch
| hvor such an equitable arrangement
mould themselves be favored and NOT
brbidden by law, although they should
Ia strictly supervised by the government
| through the interstate commerce commas
| ion which should have the power OF
,assing summary upon not only the
question of the reduction, but the RAISING
! u rates.
This railroad problem is Itself one Of
he nhases of one of the greatest and
most intricate problems OF or c!VlllZa~
aon. For its proper solution we need no.
merely honesty and courage. cut Judg-
nent good sense and entire ta2f hlnueu-
Mss DemagoEy in such matter Is as
,artain to work evil as corruption ltseh-
| RE ,,,a,, who promises to raise the wages
r. railroad employees to the highest point
md at the same time to reduce rates to
he lowest point is promising what mel
her he nor any one else can perform
md if the effort to perform 1t were AT
empted disaster would result to poth
lhipper and wageworker ana rum 10 T rhe
Msiness interests of the country Inc
nan to trust in such ma tier as TINS IS
he man who, like Judge Taft. does moi
.-or,ise too much but who could not be