The National tribune., 1909-01-07
RATES TO THE NATIONAL EN-
CAalPNIE.NT

The position of Chief
campment at Salt Lake City is ahso-
lutely correct and will receive the cor
friends. Now is as good a time as there
ever has been or will be TO bring to a
head the long-standing controversy be-
tween the Grand Army and the rail-
roais. While most of the railroads OF
the United States have treated the Ma
ticnal Encampment with great fairness
there are also many which have not and
which have always taken advantage of
a National Encampment to extort un-
usual gains from those attending it.
National Encampment has had an un-
pleasant experience from it. For years
the National Encampments have been
empowering the Commander-in-Chief
and the Executive Committee to take.
the National Encampment away from
the city decided upon if equitable rates
could not be secured. In practice this
in-Chief going to the city selected and
meeting there the representatives of the
railroads. He has found the prepara-
tions for the National Encampment well
advanced. money secured and a gen.
eral anticipsti ton of the event. While
most of the railroads offered fair rates
there would be some which would hang
out obstinateiy, and rather than disap-
point the comrades and citizens who
had done so much hard work the Gem
mander-in-Chief would affirm the selec-
ton of the city and order the prepara-
tions to go on, hoping that in some way
the obstinate railroads would be
brought to reason. OF late years there
has been a disposition on the part of
the National Encampment to make its
orders more mandatory and to take the
Encampment away unless the roads
would do the fair thing. Commander
in-Chief Nevius is carrying out these in
structions according to their spirit. and
now is just as good a time as We can
have for making a test case. There IS
none too much satisfaction among The
comrades with reference to going to
Salt Lake City. and they will not be dis
appointed IL they are not summoned to
meet there. We have every reason to
expect that a rate of one-cent a mile
tionaI Encampments and there is no
proper basis for the railroads demand
ing more. All of the roads are selling
excursion tickets from Eastern points
to California for even less than one
cent mile, and the open rate to ex-
cursionists cannot possibly be.as profta-
BILE as low rate given to the Grand
Army of the Republic, which will take
to Salt Lake City a far bigger crowd
than can be gathered for any other pur-
pose. If the railroads make a rate of
one-cent a mile they can confidently ex-
lpect to have from $4,000 to 100. 200
people to carry to Salt Lake City and
visitors will not content themselves with
the trip to Salt Lake City. brt will want
to take other excursions over the West
so that the railroads will greatly profit
from the local rates they can exact from
these. In refusing a one-cent rate the
railroads are standing in their own light
and they are doing so simply in pur-
suance of the general policy agreed
upon to try to make railroad regulation
unpopular by refusing all concessions
and privileges and attribute this refusal
to the stringent provisions of the law.
The railroads cannot deceive the peo-
pie in this way. There is nothing in
the law which prohibits them from
making a one-cent rate or any other
concessions and the people are not SO
lstupid as TO accept their pretext that
there is. We can rely upon Command
er-in-Chief Nevius's ability and common
sense to cope properly with the situa.
ton. He has it in his hands absolutely
and without question to either call q
or to take the National Isncampmeni
Elsewhere. Whatever he does will be
exactly right and will be strongly sup.
ported by the Order as body. Much
! as we prize the National Encampmen
and important as every one of them i.
; to us at our present age we can wei
afford to forego one of them If it i.
necessary to demonstrate to the rail
, roads that we are in earnest and thai
we must have fair dealing.
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