The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-12-10

was Iudt or Dorset carter president OF
the Oklahoma Central railway com.
pany. The people had heard Klt,
Barnard ON the repeal of Section
Nine. Article Nine of the coa.,ild-
ton and they were anxious 10 hear
Carter, who takes an opposite .icw Of
the matter Mr Carter was u.r,}re-
ed as the man who had gou. tD .lol-
land and borrowed ten million dollars.
built a railroad iu Oklahoma and main.
tanned it during the days of the panic
and he believed this young financial
slant would be- entertaining to the
banqueters.
MIR Carter SIS plain. fortcml
speaker. he used great caution not to
offend anyone who might hold different
views and congratulated the writer's
Of the constitution for writing it as
they did ahd said they would have
been traitors not to have done SO.
Mr.. Garter began by saying that the
people and the railroads. the question
which had been assigned him was 500
big a question to permit of thorough
discussion at the banquet board. lie
said in part: Great changes lavr
been made in the last four years VIII
the railroads, If there ever was 4
time when they adopted arbitrary
measures that time is in the dim past
today, but II is not without its iniiu.
cnce for the reason that arbitrary
methods brought railroad agitation apI
agitation brought reform. The people
heard but one side of railroad qns
tiOns discussed and as u result the
MANAGEMENT of railroads have been
taken from the companies and placed
with the people. Rates are absolutely
controlled by the people and there is
no such thing as competition among
companies Although am at the head
Of railway company have nothing
whatever to say about the operation
of that line of road and the success or
failure of that piece of property in a
financial way is with the people and
not with the company. ! cannot lease
II nor sell it nor make 1t pay and what
is to be done with II. How would YOU
consider a law that kept you from
leasing your farm or selling your
farm to whomever you pleased when
you learned you could not operate that
farm at profit. Unless the pendulum
of public opinion swings back the peo-
pie must assume the responsibility of
the future OF the railroads. Oklahoma
could use 10 advantage five thousand
more miles of railroads, but how many
miles have been built since statehood?
This town needs other roads, you may
boost your town all you please but you
can't build It beyond the country, de-
velop the country and you cant keep
your town from building and the only
way to deN ~ the country is to grid
iron 1t wiz 'ailroads and to induce
railroads TO co. Won must give them
a chance. Here we have in this state
vast coal beds on one side and on the
other, people burning corn for fuel,
will conditions like these produce
prosperity?
A change in policy is needed in this
state. am not here to criticise the
men who wrote the constitution, they
carried out the will OF the people who
elected them and they would have
been traitors if they had not done so.
Conditions have changed since then
and the laws ought to be changed TO
meet the new conditions. The rail
roads cannot built in this state be-
cause they are denied the right OF
eminent domain, they cannot condemn
property, one farmer may let them
pass through his land while another
can deny them the right, II il is good
for this state for two lines like the
Frisco and Rock Island to consolidate
why is it not good for my little road
TO consolidate with some other line. |
see where Chairman Love says the di-
vorcement OF the Rock lsland-frisco
will cost the people OF this state mil
lion a year. The shrinkage of railroad
values in this state can be realized
when tell you that little line like
the Oklahoma Central Is worth two
and half million less under the
present constitution than it was be
fore that document was written
Il understand some labor agitators
have been to your town and made
speeches against this measure. The
speakers are attempting to deceive
labor. Let me tell you this state
should have five thousand more miles
of road, 1t should have 10000 more
well paid laborers, it should have sew
enty-fiye more millions of dollars and
the laborers on the little roads get
just half what they do on the big
roads, now figure 1t out If you can