The Springdale news., 1909-04-09
RAILWAYPHOBIA'S END.

| From the Kansas City Journal Friday. March 12, 19o9.l
 1 It must be obvious to any re- fleeting mind that Judge Me Pherson's decision in the Missouri
 rate cases Is the beginning of
 the end of the insensate and
 hurtful legislation that has been
 enacted in many States Tn the
 past two years or more -leglsla-
 tion designed to force enormous
 reductions Tn freight rates, al-
 ready the lowest in the world,
 and to sustitute 2-cent passen-
 ger rate for Scent rate, Ill the
 teeth of overwhelming proof ad- I duced in court that not one of
 the great railway systems oper-
 ating west of the Mississippi
 River was earning expenses on
 its trans-Missippi passenger busi-
 ness at the Scent rate. Under l the circumstances 1t was inevit- able that the courts would find the 2-cent rate contiscatory and the wholesale reductions in freight tariffs unreasonable.
 As consequence, the courts
 will undo the unconstitutional
 work of the legislatures and state railway commissions as fast as
 the cases are heard, and the only
 tangible results of all this fren- zied Legislation will be the tre- mendous burden of expense bills which the tax payers will have
 to bear, including not only the salaries and expenses of legisla- lures and commissions which have wasted their time, but many thousands of dollars besides, for other foolish and fruitless efforts
 in the same direction, as, for eX-
 ample, the S120,00o which the legislature of Kansas wants to spend, or the S25, ,000 year which
 Governor Stubs recommends,
 for physical valuation of the
 railroads in that state to be used
 as basis for establishing rail-
 way rates. The Supreme Court
 of the United States has plainly
 intimated, If not actually declar-
 ed, iii Judge Brewers decision
 last year, that physical valua-
 tion IS not controlling factor i'll determining the fairness of q
 rate, but that number of other features of the subject must be | taken into consideration in reach- ing such conclusion. As a mat ter of course 1t will throw out all such cases, in which the physical valuation has been used according
 to the idea winch is sought to be
 enforced in Kansas, and the tax payers will pay the costs as usual. Instead of this suicidal policy
 of railwayphobia, which if 1t could be enforced would lay pros
 trate the prosperity and paralyze
 the development of the west, 1t would seem high time for sane
 and sober thought to prevail, and for the progressive business men | of Missouri, Kansas and other states to get together as those of Oklah homa have recently done,
 through state federation of commercial bodies to resist the disastrous leadership of ambi-
 tious, self-seeklng demagogues,
 whose only object is to secure fat
 political jobs and high office for
 themselves by playing upon the prejudices of the minimizing
 masses against railroads and all great combinations of capital.
 By cooperating in this manner the business men of Oklahoma succeeded in defeating the ma chine candidate for speaker of tue legislature and electing con- servative, broad-minded farmer who was pledged to appoint com mittees which would encourage the building of railroads and the