Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-13
POST PLEADS FOR HARMONY
Urges Both Railroad and Public to
Be More Considerats.
STUDIES CAUSE OF Discomfort
One InccndiHry UtterRncc Can DO
More Damage to Community
Than All Drunks During
Year.
STUDIES CAUSE OF Discomfort


Year.
| George A. Post IT New y ork. president OF
| the Railway Business association. adj
dressed the Omaha Railway club and its
| guests at the Brandeis theater last evening
| on the subject OF railroad regulation and
urged more hearty cooperation between
the railroads and the public in matters per-
tanning to the great railroad problems. lie
said that the railroad officials should make
| 1t their constant ondeavor TO accommodate
the people and that the people should be
more considerate of the railroads.
Mr.. Post used as his subject the story
of the dumb son of Croesus, who spoke
in time to save his father from impending
peril. He said that the Railway Business
association had been formed under some
what analogous circumstances. The
speaker was introduced to an audience that
filled the theater by John L. Webster
Declaration OF Principles.
"On September 30, 1905 the Railway Bust
ness association was organized said Mr..
Post Prom its declaration of principles
| quote:
1t shall be the purpose Of the Rail
Business association 10 conserve the inter
lie policies, consistent with the public in
terest, as will tend to foster and develop
the business of building and maintaining
railway transportation facilities in the
United States. The officers shall cause the
course of public and other discussion Of
regulatiye proposals and acts to be con-
stantly observed, and shall formulate and
carry out such activities as they deem
necessary, with the cooperation of the
members in the districts where their plants
are located, in orGer to attain the result
of winning public favor for railroads and
establish Just and wise public policies af-
tectng them.
LIT shall be the purpose OF the Railway
Business association to favor governmental
regulation, to the end that railroads may
law, ana 10 urge that any restrlction
adopted shall give railroad managers suffi-
cient latitude TO operate the properties
safely, efficiently, progressively ana SOL
Vently to maintain entire independence OF
I the railroads No contribution of money
or other thing of value shall be received
! by the association from any railroad COM
pany or railroad official and no railroad
official shall have any voice In the manage
ment of the association. Ii shall be the
policy of the association to study the
causes of public discomfort and urge the
railroads to redress Just grievances,
while endeaVoring to convince the pubic
! that ill-founded or unreasonable complaints
should not be made the subject of agita-
ton, The Railway Business association
shall have no part in party politics.
is there anything the matter with such
principles? Isn't that an honorable and
desirable undertaking? Is there a word in
that declaration 10 which anyone could
take exception?
No Harsh Words.
AT the very outset of our career it was
determined that in no document issued by,
or utterancc made in behalf of, the assocl-
alton should there be harsh word or any
attempt to assail the motive of anyone who
| differed with us. Our mission is to con-
ciliate Again. we frankly admitted our
personal interest in the welfare OF the
railways. When some one suggested that
it might be a tactical error to have the
word railway in the namc OF the ascot
alton, for fear that 1t might render us
under suspicion of being an apPendage of
the railways we said: If the word rail
way Is unpopular throughout the country,
we would bend our efforts to make II
popular. We are not ashamed of the fact
that we do business with railways. The
railways couldn't do business without us,
Useless each without the other
ours is an organization for a business
purpose not for political advantage. Our
members belong to all parties. We want
no Offices We want business. Our desire
is that no matter what may be the party
affiliations of a public official, he will
weigh carefully and honestly any and all
| proposals for restrictions to be placed upon
! railway operations. If there are bad or
| unwise practices by railroads, 1t is of vital
| concern to us that they shall cease. How
| ever we know enough about railroads to
understand that every criticism made
! against them is not well founded. Critics
are not always wise; railroads are not
| always in the wrong.
During the last eighteen months, as we
have closely observed the methods of egs-
lative bodies in dealing with measures
! affecting railroads. we have been amazed
by the volume of such bills introduced
throughout the country. We have been
| startled by the lack of consideration and
| conservatism shown in passing upon rail-
road bills Only a month ago in one of the
great states bill, which was, when
! printed forty pages in length, containing
over 1,4OO lines providing many new and
novel restrictions upon the public utilities
of the state, was passed by one house of
the legislature, after a motion to dispense
with It's reading had been adopted. The
| bill as passed had never been referred to a
| committee. but was sprung upon the body
! as an amendment to a pending bill, by
/ striking out all after the enacting clause
Of the pending measure and inserting the
imprinted, unread bill in its place
| Public Sentiment Aroused.
! Isn't that astounding? Is it any Won
der that our association pleaded with the
other branch of the legislature to find out
what was in the bill before it was enacted
| into law by it, approval? We appealed to
the sober judgment of the business men
! of the state to protest against precipitant
! law-making. 1t is pleasant to say that
an aroused sentiment caused the defeat of
! the measure.
I'm another state last year there were
/ pending IN the legislature bills which, IL
passed, would have commanded the rail
roads of that state to eNpend scores Of
millions of dollars, and at a time, too
/ when over 100000 men in our industry were
! idle in that very state, because of the in
ability of the railroads TO buy goods
and at that very time there were idle rail-
/ road cars enough in the country to make
a train reaching from the Atlantic to the
/ Pacific. our association asked for a hear
ing, which was graciously granted, and we
| earnestly appealed for the utmost caution
and for the application of business pru-
dence in dealing with all the bills. None OF
the bills passed.
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