Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-22
associated from production. He contin-
ued:
Potomac River as an Agent.

| transportation, and ! believe that this
should be done wherever it Is practicable.
All of the harbors of the country should
| be improved to the highest state of eff
cheney and wherever rivers can be made
economically effective highways II should
be done. The Potomac river is a stream
| of this class. and the people of Wash
ington are interested In its improvement.
1t furnishes a highway to many points
that arc not in rail communication with
Washington. and. by giving an outlet to
the Chesapeake bay and Atlantic ocean.
opens UP opportunities for coastwise trade
1t comes into competition with rail trans
pOrtation to some extent. but it is more
/ valuable as supplementing the railways.
"A railway mas quasi-public charac
ter because it is a public highway. 1t is,
therefore. properly subject to a certain
degree of public regulation. Both as a
matter of law and as a natural right all
persons are entitled. under similar cir
cumstances and conditions. to equality of
rights and of treatment on the highway.
AS a matter of law. which We have in
herited from the common law of England
I he charges of a common carrier must be
reasonable as measured by the service
performed
Equality Enforced by Law. .
ut is peculiarly proper that equality of
treatment and reasonableness OF charges
upon railway should be enforced by
public regulation because, owing to the
nature of railway operation, the operat-
ing company must exercise monopoly
of transportation over it's lines. There
should, therefore. be regulation to prohibit
charges that are unreasonably high as
measured by the service performed and
to prevent undue determinations in
charges service between persons, To-
caltities or commodities when the service
is performed under substantially similar
circumstances and conditions. Such
portation in every legal and natural
right
but our government is based on the
fundamental theory of the equality OF all
men before the law and the protection of
each man in the full enjoyment of the
grea test degree of liberty in the man
a gement of his affairs consistent with the
enjoyment by others Of the same meas
IRE of liberty. A railway company. as an
artificial person, is a citizen of the United
States, with rights as sacred as those of
any other citizen. These rights should
he as zealously protected by the laws of
the land and by public opinion as the
rights of the buyer of transported ton.
When the latter has been fully protected
in his rights, therefore, the owners of a
railway are entitled to enjoy the same
rights and liberty as to the management
of their property that are accorded to
and watever remains to them as the re-
suit of operation, be it much or little, is
their property as fully as is the profit
which a man acquires by the operation of
a farm or factory.
Unwise Legislation.
'1 believe, therefore. that governmental
regulation Of railways carried beyond the
proper field of the prevention OF I'M
reasonable charges and undue discrimina-
tions. and invading the field Of business
management. is wrong, because it denies
to railways the protection given to prop
erty in other forms, and that it is unwise
because it's inevitable tendency must be to
restrict investments In railway enterprises
and to retard the provision of trans
needed. That there has been a tendency
to carry regulation beyond its proper
field has been due, I believe. to lack
Of appreciation by some Of our fellow
citizens not only of the injustice that
would be inflicted upon the railways.
but also of their own ultimate interests
in the matter"
Arthur c. Moses, president Of the club.
presided at the dinner and introduced Mr..
Finley.
The music was furnished by musicians
of the Washington Symphony Orchestra
and was much appreciated by the club
members and their guests. Herman
Rakemal1n, leader Of the orchestra, play
ed several violin solos Lorleberg, who
plays the cello, also played a SOLO and
played. in the quartet and trio The head
er of the Soldiers Home Band. Mr.. Zim-
norman, played the Accomplishments on
the piano. There were also flute solos.
Among the guests at the dinner last
night were Senator Gamble of South
Dakota, Representative Samuel w. Smith,
chairman Of the House District commit
tee: Representative Taylor Of Ohio. Com
missioner Cuno H. Rudolph, Gen. George
H. Harries.