Putnam patriot., 1910-10-14

commissioners will be fairly well per formed. but in the long run and on the average, no commission will success fully bear the responsibilities which might be thrown upon the ideal com mision of our dreams.
 1 believe in keeping sight of ideals and doing our best to approach them. My experience in good many differ- ent States eonvinces me that all large business. and certainly the railroad business. is better of. the better the character of the government. should
 be more comfortable, if I could dream with others about what is going to be accomplished by renewed efforts to put none but honest. independent and capable men in public office. But whether in politics or business, no type of man is more dangerous than the impractical dreamer.
 It is an old saying that the best possible government would be a des- potism, if We could only be sure of always having the ideal despot. Those who are in hurry to see accomplished some social reform. are apt to call for the creation of despotic authority for the purpose. and to calmly assume that the proposed despot when created will prove to be the ideal despot But all human experience demonstrates that we cannot reasonably expect to get the despot of our dreams, and that arbit- rary political authority cannot safely be granted to any man or to any com mission. Until human nature changes, the great constitutional principles for which our fathers struggled will re- main the necessary bulwarks of civil liberty
 The faithful separation of the legis- lative. executive and judicial depart ments of the government will. I be- lieve, need hereafter as hitherto. to be demanded by sober-minded and thoughtful citizens.
 You ask me specifically why the printed mileage of the railroad was in- creased by two miles a few months ago, The answer is that this was a biunder which was immediately cor reeted. The orders which resulted in this misunderstanding on the part of those having charge of printing the timetables related to an increased charge of four cents on mileage books Tn connection with a general increased charge of five cents in interstate com meree to and from New York City. necessitated by many causes, but es- pecialiy by the great increase in the amounts paid by this Company to the New York Central and Hudson River In and out of Grand Central Station.
 The most important of the specific questions which you put to me is. in SAfD&fQnEA hAx th.1 .s..x Of street railway company is of any importance to the public. My answer is' Yes, but not in the way many peo- Die seem to suppose. The mere amount of eompany's capital bears no relation to the actual or possible gross or net earnings of the company. or to the rates charged or the service afforded
 No street railway manager earns from his business more or less because of differences in the amount of his companys capital If he is worth his Sait, he always earns twhateyer be the amount of his company's capital stock all that he can, but the best way for him to do this is to give fo the public the best possible service al rates sufficiently low to create The largest possible volume of remunera- tive business.
 A careful comparison seems to shov that under similar conditions public | service corporations of Connecticut in | general give Al least as good service | II rates as low as do like corporations l of Massachusetts. whose capital has been stringently restricted. I may 'ay. moreover. from m experience in l ! good many States. that the street railway service of Connecticut with M <tts faults is oa the whole at -least | V sood wfA ratss at least as low. as 2 any of such ceher. states.
 But the esb5sct = the resulasioa q \ hA capitalinakiea uf corporattcanx is | % .larse 70 Ae a1equa&eiy treeta1 at \ Aeseq1 sea loag lee1nr. .fAereenre | n ioave tD 1iecuns thh anA neAee Iuestioos Uofo fslly later. h ooaclnainG. this leeaaa viaA n epsat ny vaxniAg that t uroar nr,n-y iDsss ars bllouea h tAs rsgulaftca ~ !