Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-10-31

the Irans'Mlsslssippi congress recent
 ly at San Francisco was that of J. c.
 Stubbs. Il has ring of fairness which
 will appeal to the sober.minded and
 puts new and much needed light on
 many questions pertaining to railroads which have heretofore been misunder-
 stood and misrepresented by croakers
 and a certain set of gallery playing
 statesmen. Extracts from the speech.
 which created a mild sensation, are
 given herewith:
 The publicity-compelling feature of
 the amended Interstate Commerce law
 is expected to do something toward dis
 polling quite common prejudice which
 arises from ignorance, but think there
 must be a popular and widespread dis
 semination of information on the sub
 ject.
 It has seemed to me that the men are
 too numerous who do not understand or who refuse to recognize that railroads are property, entitled to the protection as well as being subject to the restraints of the law.
 Under our form of government, sup ervision and regulation by law might be extended to any other industra al pursuit if the people willed it. It has been applied to railroads because of their monopolistic nature, and the well proven fact that transportation in this country is absolutely necessary to the well-being and industrial Fife of the peo- pie. Hence these agencies of transpor- tation must be restrained and regulated lest the power they naturally exercise be used to the hurt rather than the help of the people. But fundamentally the right of supervision and regulation does not go to the extent of practical man agement, nor should it limit the rate of profit below that which other invest ments of labor, skill and money com monly yield
 Such agencies as this congress can, and hope will, be effective as means of disseminating the truth concerning the carriers rights and needs as well as the rights and demands of the peo- pie,
 The territory represented by this con. gress is the larger part, and daily !s becoming a more important part of our country. Its area is over two million square miles-about 60 per cent of these are of the United States, exclusive of Alaska and the insular possessions. Its growth in wealth, in population, in all the products of civilization, furnishes remarkable chapter in history. Such as this show the desire and purpose of the people of the Trans Mississippi territory to do nothing to retard and to leave nothing undone that will promote, its further progress.
 It goes without saying that our en. deavors must be honest. l firmly be. lieve that they must be cooperative. | In using the term "co-operative' have in mind especially the relations of the railroads with the general pub lie. the essential inter-dependence of which I have just spoken. That inter dependence does not exclude the ordi- nary features of exchange-buying and selling It should not prevent far com petition, nor should it forbid curbing by law the unjust use of power by capital or by labor, by corporations or by in- dividuals. but it does suggest to a wise a just and generous public sentiment the inexpediency of making any person or class of persons, or any business as- sociation of persons in forms or in cor porations-the football of what IS called politics, and it does forbid treat inp any such as sort of industrial | Frankenste:n.
 The several sides of square are equal. A deal implies at least two par ties. A "square deal" means that the deal must be fair to both, or each and every party to it. That is all you want; that is all we shall ever contend for as railroad men dealing with the public.
 believe that the opportunity for in- iustrial development through these very | means of transportation, the inter- change by an increasingly great popu' Iation, of the products of the brain and brawn of the greatest people tho earth has ever unknown, in the next two gen erations will be as numberless and as fruitful as they have been from Ben ton 's days until now. Shall We not eul- t,vate the spirit, the energy, the self restraint essential to successful pursuit of that prospectf
 I welcome this opportunity to say that my people do not object to the i'm. orovement of the rivers, the harbors and |, the waterways of this country. That work belongs to the general government and should be done at whatever cost. wherever there is a substantial need.
 While share the desire of many far seeing and public spirited American -----------------