The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-09-14
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT TELLS WHY TAFT
SHOULD Be HIS SUCCESSOR IN OFFICE
Political Masterpiece Government Policies and the HANDLING
Of Living Questions by Means of Brains and Sanity
Rather Than Promises and Fanaticism

who profit by stock watering; It
| would benefit the honest shareholder
because honest investments would not
be brought into competition with mere
paper; 1t would benefit the wage
worker because when the money earn
ed does not have to go to paying in
terest on watered capital, more of 1t
is left, out of which to pay wages; it
| would benefit the shipper because
when only honest stockholders have
to be paid interest. rates need not be
improperly raised; it would benefit
the public because there would be
amply money with which to give ef-
ficient service. Similarly. the preven-
tion Of favoritism 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 oppres-
sion. Again, such supervision of ac-
counts and management as will pre-
vent crookedness and oppression
works good, directly or Indirectly, to
all honest people. Therefore every
thing that can be done along all these
lines should be done; and no mans
legitimate interest would thereby be
hurt. But after this point has been
reached great care must be exercised
not to work injustice to one class In
the effort to show favor to another
class, and each naturally tends to re-
member only its own needs The
stockholders must receive an ample
return on their investments, or the
railroads cannot be built and success
fully maintained; and the rates to
shippers and the wages to employees,
from the highest to the lowest, must
all be conditioned upon this fact. On
the other hand, in a public service
corporation we have no right to allow
such excessive profits as will necessi-
tate rates being uniuly high and
wages low, we must always remember
that we have no right and no justi-
fication to reduce them when the re-
suit 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
several 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 be paid
to those whose masterful ability is re-
quired for the successful direction of
great enterprises. Combinations
which favor such an equitable ar
rangement should themselves be fav-
ored and not forbidden by law; al
though they should be strictly super
vised by the government through the
interstate commerce commission,
which should have the power of pass
| ing summarily upon not only the
question of the reduction but the
raising Of rates.
Bryan's False Clamor.
"This railroad problem is itself one
of the phases of one of the greatest
and most intricate problems of our
civilization; for its proper solution we
need not merely honesty and courage,
but judgment, good sense. and entire
fairmindedness. Demogougry in such
matter is as certain to work. evil as
corruption itself. The man who
promises to raise the wages of rail-
road employees to the highest point
and at the same time to reduce rates
to the lowest point is promising what
neither he nor anyone else can per-
form; and If the effort to perform 1t
were attempted disaster would result
to both shipper and wage-worker, and
ruin to the business interests of the
country. The man to trust in such a
matter as this is the man who, like
Judge Taft, does not promise too
much, but who could not be swayed
from the path of duty by any argu-
ment, by any consideration; who will
wage relentles war on the successful
wrongdoer among railroad men as
among all other men; who will do all
that can be done to secure legitimate
ly low rates to shippers and absolute
evepness among the rates thus Sc
cured; 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 profits. He
will not favor ruinous experiment
like government ownership of rail-
ways: he will stand against any kind
of confiscation of honestly acquired
property; but he will work effectively
for the most efficient type Of govern
ment supervision and control OF rail-
ways, so as to secure just and fair
treatment of the people as whole.
No Idle Promise.
"What is here said as to his atti-
tude on the railway question applies
to the whole question Of the trusts.
He will promise nothing on this sub
ject unless he firmly believes he can
make his promise good. He will go
into no chimerical movement to de-
stroy all great business combinations;
for this can only be done by destroy
ing all modern business; but he will
In practical fashion do everything pos
Continued on page q.