New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-03-24
HARTMAN ON
HIS POLICIES,
Government Should Cooperate
With Railroads, He Says.
ALWAYS FAvoRs REGU LATIoN.

Declares Ex-President Roosevelt Pos
sibly Carried 1t Too Far-Blames In
terstate Commerce Commission For
Share In Panic-Denies Rumors Of
Ill Health and Retirement.
e. II. Hartman, president Of the
Union Pacific railroad, forcefully out
lined his policy of the cooperation and
consolidation of railroads in an inter-
view at Los Angeles, CAL, the other day.
Mr.. Harriman's initial remarks were
a prediction of the remarkable devel-
opment which he believes is to come
to the west coast Of Mexico, where he
Is building 1880 miles of railroads.
Asked about the extent of railroad
building on his lines and the territory
he would cover, he said:
"Our objective point is to connect
with the Mexican Central, and about
$50 miles Of line will make this route
complete. We went about seventy
eral country"
what is the attitude of the Next
can government toward capital?"
Every liberal-very liberal, indeed
We found it so, and when anything
unusual occurred we found we could
always get very quick decisions"
'Do they have an interstate COM
merce commission down there?'
"No; they are quite intelligent
do they try to exercise any juris-
diction over your operations?"
"No; they are very fair. They grant
a charter and state just what you can
do. l will let you into a little secret
and will state that the conditions as
brought about by my visit in 1901 are
now in existence. At that time
asked them what they would do if l
worked up plan for them. They have
that plan in operation now .-.
"Have they government ownership"
''NO; they have not SO much govern
ment ownership as government part
nership. l told them in 1901 not to
make the mistake they have in Amer
lea and build railroad lines at the ex-
pense of wasting capital without serv-
ing the country. have always ia
vored combination, and believe that
legislation will sooner or later be en-
acted in favor Of combination and en-
forcing combination. By this | do not
mean to remove individual competi-
ton. Everybody should have the same
right to move what he wants over the
lines. have always been in favor Of
regulation. That is on record. The
men looking for political preferment
are doing all the talking and are mis-
leading the people. Some Of them are
afraid to tell the truth for fear that
their heads will fall at the next cleo
ton. 1t is carried to such a length
that finally the people think there is
cause the other side has nothing to
say.
"It is more or less the fault Of the
railroads that they have become dis
credited to such an extent as they
have
To-day it is even conspiracy for
the managers of railways to get into
| a room and talk of the relations of
their lines to each other, and they can
even be convicted if the fact can be
proved. Such conditions have been
carried too far
There should be cooperation be-
tween the government and the cor
porations We can make no gentle
mems agreement any more. The law
prevents, as | understand it. On the
other hand, the rates have become
more stable. Agitation against the
railways has reached the point where
great many of the agi;uoors are get
ting somewhat mixed up and afraid
Have you any reason to think that
Mr.. Taft will continue the same con-
ditions as those brought during the
administration of Mr.. ROOSEVELT"
'Ihe interstate commerce act was
passed in 1887. There were regula-
tons long before Mr.. Roosevelt was
talked OF. The Sherman act was pass
ed about the same time, l think. The
idea Of regulation did not originate
with Mr.. Roosevelt. 1t had become
acute when Mr. Roosevelt came into
the political field, and he was quick
minded enough to see it and possibly
carried it too far. l think the results
have been rather disastrous l think
said to Mr.. Roosevelt in 1905 that
he ought not to have the Hepburn
amendment passed without having an
amendment that would give the rail
roads protection as well as regulation
That was the time to have done it.
We could have stopped all this recent
trouble If that had been done then.
The fact was the interstate COM
| merce commission was just as much
at fault as the rebate payers and the
, rebate takers. They failed 70 enforce
the original act. passed in 1857 or 1855
This should be considered in a settle
ment of any kind-viz. that they are at
fault as well as the.railroads Certain
of the lines did not want TO pay re-
| batpS and still thew haya tn hoar + l,a,,.