The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-04-01


It's first aim or suffer political obliv-
lon"
There Is much Of truth and common
sense in the foregoing. Our govern
mental expenditures are In part based
on political pulls" A senator or con-
gressman desires to make a showing
in his state or district and he obtains
appropriations for everything for
which fairly plausible uEc In the
government service can be found. This
loose method Of disbursing the peoples
money results IN the extravagance5
OF which Mr.. Hartman speaks ana
should be overcome, II possible. Mon
ey extrayagantly expended. whether
in private OF public enterprises, means
misdirected energy and loss TO the
people as a whole.
Speaking OF tariff revision, Mr.. Har-
r1man said;
"1f the government had revised the
tariff, or given the country good cur
rency law, OF both. we would not have
had the Lands decision. and we would
not have had all this wasteful prose
cution OF corporations, nor all OF this
hostile legislation against railroads,
and the country would be going along
gwimmingly.
II have been quoted as criticising
the government and our former pres
ident for having prosecuted me and
the interests which represent
have never spoken bitterly regarding
either and have no criticism to make.
The prosecutions were all right, Tor
there is nothing about the railroads
which l represent that l desire to
conceal.
II am in favor Of government super
vision and regulation, but not just be-
cause II has come. | am on record
in Washington as being In favor Of
this and told Mr.. Roosevelt so early
in his campaign. But. mind you. |
told him was In favor OF regulation.
II combined with protection, but we
have been getting regulation without
protection and that is bad for tho rail-
roads and bad for the people, for. after
all, 1t is the people who have to pay
for the mistakes of the government"
But here is a peculiar step down
from Mr.. Harriman's clear reasoning.
He was asked II he would have regu-
lation by government extend to the
issuance OF railroad securities. and he
answered:
by no means, for It is none of the
peoples business. to put II bluntly how
much securities and In what form they
are issued,so long as the railroad Is
nun In the interest of the people and so
long as 1t gives the greatest possible
unit OF service.
Il know what you had In mind
when you asked that question. IL
was that little Alton affair about
which so much fuss was made, and
what did the fuss amount to? They
said the Alton was grossly over-cap-
italized. And yet the Alton Is today
the best railroad property in Lib
nols. 1t has been made ESQ per cent
better for two-thirds of Its original
cost; and l might add that IL is not
n m HT-1fnf Ttl
ent, all the states attorney generals
and all of the inebriated state senat-
ors Notwithstanding You may quote
me In this respect. even to the in
ebrlated state senators.
Il would begin with the Sherman
antitrust act. which is and always
Will be. a menace to corporate pros
perity. You can plainly see that the
idols OF the people have changed in
many respects. They are coming to
take different view of the problems
which are involved in the maintenance
and operation OF our railroads and
the laws should be changed to cor
respond with these changed Views
After all, 1t Is the people who own
our railroads"
What he says of the Alton Is, no
doubt. true. but why the government
should not regulate the issuing of Sc
curities by railroads is not made evi-
dent. One of the practices OF the
past, which has done much to place
the railroads In an unfavorable light,
IL the issuing of watered stocks and
then requiring the people to pay
tribute on that watered stock. BY
watered stock we refer to issues OF
stock, the value OF which does not
enter into the improvements of a
road, but go to enrich a few clever
manipulators.
Mr. Hartman qualities his state.
ment by saying. so long as the rail-
road Is run Ia the interest OF the peo-
pie, and so long as 1t gives the great
est possible efficiency of service"
That is unanswerable. But how
often do those securities fail TO serve
the good of the public; how often are
they made to enrich the pockets of the
crnfty2
III all heads OF railroads were as
earnestly devoted as Mr. Hartman 10
making better railroads, there would
be less reason for complaint, Mr..
Hartman Is distinctly q railroad IN