The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-31
BEG FOR FAIRNESS.
CONTINUED from Page One.l


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of the country for December. 1907,
showed a decrease below the cores
ponding month of the previous year OF
over five and one-haf million dollars
What conservatism demands or the
railroads is not lower rates but better
service, improved facilities, Impartial
treatment of all shippers, obedience 10
the law, the payment of a fair snare
and only a fair share, of the pubic
burden in the shape of taxes. and
return upon their property adequate TO
the risk in building and operating IT.
and commensurate with the falr, aV-
erage returns from other lines OF sue
cessful well-managed business enter
prises. To this they have legal right
In support OF this position the follow
ing language of the supreme court OF
the United States relative to the erect
of the original interstate commerce act
cannot be quoted too often:
subject to the two leading pron1p-
itions that their charges shall not be
unjust or unreasonable and that they
shall not unjustly discriminate so
as to give undue preference or ad-
vantage to persons or traffic similarly
circumstanced, the act to regulate
commerce leaves common carriers as
they were at common law free to
make special contracts looking to
the increase of their business. to
classify their traffic, to adjust and
the necessities of commerce and gen.
orally to manage their important in
terests upon the same principles
which are regarded as sound and
adopted in other trades and pur-
SUITS
"The legislators and commissions
that are demanding radical and dras-
tic reductions in rates fail to take into
account the risk of the original in
vestment. the constant risk Of opera
ton. the lean years of no returns
whatever, which the public makes no
compensation for, and, particularly,
constant demand for betterments and
extensions which increasing traffic
from year to year renders Imperative
1y necessary. More than all, in rate
making by law or commission, no re-
gard whatever is paid to the substan-
tial element of value in all property
as q going concern, which a COM
pleted and well-equipped railroad has
in serving a prosperous and growing
section of the country. This should
be recognized In estimating the VAL
We of the railroad property. for rate
making purposes, just as goodwill is
recognized in the selling price of
great newspaper or any large manu-
featuring or industrial enterprise"
Quoted From Roosevelt.
Mr.. Lathrop evidently does not fol-
low in the wake of Hartman and
many other railroad officials but on
the other hand joins hands with the
people in his praise of President
Roosevelt. He resorted to quotations
from the presidents messages at va
Eious times during the evening and
Awelt especially upon that part of
his 1907 message in which he touches
upon the railroads, and advises that
the country needs better facilities
more than lower rates.
The press came in for a share of
the remarks Of Mr.. Lathrop in which
he advised the editors to adopt
more conservative policy in their edi-
torials.
81 am a great believer in the pow
er of the press" said the speaker.
mot only can it make or destroy
public men, but it can foster or ire
parably injure business enterprises as
during the past two years, the lead
ing newspapers, as a rule, have been
altogether conservative in their
treatment of the railroad question.
Perhaps 1 am not an unprejudiced or
impartial judge in regard to the mat
ter. And I want to ask you, and
through you. the newspaper men
themselves, whether the railroad side
has always been fairly presented in
the columns of the daily press? As
a single concrete example. is it just
TO denounce as under improper in
fiuence and relegate to political death
legislators who stand well at home
and who, after careful and intelligent
investigation, are convinced that GER
tain anti-railroad measures should
not be passed and are brave enough
to oppose them?
ais il not about time for the editors
Of newspapers, in the face of the de-
preston abroad in the land, to re-
+,,rn to their ancient pedestal as
leaders and mouIders of public SEN
timent along fair and conservative
lines :"
TaIezs of Oklahoma Constitution.
MANY other current ideas of legisla-
lion were touched upon by Mr.. Lath-