The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-04-06
HARTMAN 90; WON'T QUIT YET


From the view lVAn
Edward n. Hartman at go 10 much
70 husv 70 think about retiring ffom
tho railroad business. On his hst
birthday, a year ago next THURSDAY,
he thonght that another twelve months
would find him ready to quit the game
but Yesterday he told a Times report
or that there were too many moves
n he made. He doesn't consider 10
even stop and consider retiring until
the complications on the financial ches-
board have been dissolved sufficient
w for him to see clearly a httie ais
lance ahead. Until then Mr.. har,i-
man thiks he owes it to 2O,Ooo soocn'
holders and 100000 employees in his
system to stay with the job
The definition Mr.. Hartman MADE
of his position in the course OF his
afternoon constitutional along fnth
Avenue Yesterday. The reporter met
him as he was coming out of his nome,
and asked him how things looked
go years lacking only a couple OF days,
II was the railroad man who spoke OF
the c~hessboard. :,
81 would not undertake to say,
said Mr.. Hartman. "No sensible man
would undertake to say now what IS
going to happen or to make a COM
prehensive statement of present con-
ditions. There are too many moves yet
to be made before any degree OF sta
bility is reached to made such a sur
voy possible.'
"Who is going to make thems'
"You know as we'll as l do return.
cd Mr.. Hartman sharply. 1.-THE peo-
Die Of this country have got to be
brought to a proper realization Of the
relation between the various factors
Of the industries. Then they must see
to it that the administration Of the law
IS construed in their interest and not
as a matter of personal caprice
"And are you going to stay with
the anne until this comes about, Mr..
Hartmann asked the reporter.
81 don't want to say how long l
will stay with the business. A year
ago when the interstate commerce COM
mission was at work I said something
about retiring in another year. Well,
it isn't a case of changing my mind,
but / have not had time to think of
retiring. I looked then for some fall
ing off in business, but for nothing
such as has occurred. / did not expect
to see so per cent of the decrease that
has been realized. Under such condi-
tions there is nothing to do but stick
until matters get into competent hands
at least, and until confidence has been
restored.
'tJust now we are hearing about
the wage problem. But do people ap-
preciate that with a given opportunity
for the development of business, the
more we have to pay for capital the
less we will have to pay for wages
And in order to get capital on good
conditions we have got to rave a good
credit and credit must be maintained
by surplus earnings. There is the
whole thing in a unit shell.
"a wrong idea prevails in a good
many quarters about this Relationship
of capital and labor. We men who
manage the road are not the capitalists
the security holders from whom we
borrow the money are the capitalists
and they are in partnership with the
wage earners in trying to make a pro-
fit out of serving the public. 1t is
our duty as managers of the roads to
preserve the proper relationship be-
tween the factors as far as we can.
But what becomes of our efforts when
an unwise government interferes, re-
sulting in such a conditino of distrust
as prevails at the present and jumbles
up all of the factors in our conglom.
Grafton.
"Be careful now, not to confuse the
terms. By surplus earnings / do not
mean the dividends but the ability to
earn something beyond what is requir-
ed to meet bare charges and expenses.
So, in speaking of the partnership
of the wage earners and the capitalists
! do not limit myself to the relations
that exist or that may exist between
the corporate organizations on the one
side and the labor organizations on
the other. | refer to the fundamental
relations between these two who fur
nish the funus for investments and
those who give their services to make
the investment profitable"