Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1910-07-16
THE RAILROAD
SQUARE DEAL"

1t is announced that the president
viii attempt TO give the railroads a
square deal. Assuredly no one who
grasps the situation desires anything
more or less than a square deal for
the railroads. There are many inter
ests involved and the rate question
is one that must be viewed from Sc
eral angles before it is decided That
this or that step taken by the Gov
eminent in the matter OF regulating
rates is for the greatest good Of the
greatest number, says the Courier
Journal
About 100000 Americans are d.
rectly interested in the prosperity OF
railroads from the standpoint of EN-
loyes. Between the sI5,000.OO0, 900
and $4,000 100000 of capital invested
in railroads represents a wide distribu-
ton of stocks among American small
investors as well as ownership by
foreigners and manufacturers of great
wealth" Other billions are invested
in enterprises whose output constructs
and equips railroads. Their employees
are counted in many figures. Still
other billions Of dollars worth of prop
erty is affected by the expansion of
transportation facilities. And as Mr..
Hill and others have pointed out
time and again railroad expansion
must be very brisk to keep up with
the growth of the grand total of freight
that is incident to the rapidly swelling
population OF the United States and
the rapid increase in the cultivated
are. The shipper is always 20 be con-
sidered. but never to be considered as
the only one interested vitality in
questions relating to the regulation of
railways.
Upon the one hand, employees,
pleading the higher cost of living as
as their ground for protest ask for
higher wages. The small investor, up
on the same ground, needs larger div.
idends. The shipper, similarly af
fected asks for bedrock rates. The
public-meaning the masses Of PEG
pie who have no expert knowledge OF
rate making and who are not students
of transportation or econmic prob
lems-knows little or nothing abou,
what rates should be. Knowing some
thing about stock jobbing operations
and -gentlemen's agreements" upon
rates, the public has a rather reason
able distrust of railroad magnates
and railroad methods. Many unthink-
ing persons do not stop to consider the
complexity of the problem when the
the railroads announce a proposed in
crease or when they are forbidden t.
carry out their projects. It IS easy to
applaud move on the part of the
government to block proposed rate
increase. 1t is not so easy 70 decide
whether such an increase is demanded
by circumstances or whether ii rep
resents an effort of the railroads 10
gouge the shipper out of a sufficient
sum to allow increases for employees
at no expense to employers.
The chances are always that the
unorganized viii be trodden upon
wherever there is a conflict o. in.
terests between the organized and IN
organized. The shipper and the
small investor in railroad stocks are
less likely TO come cut ahead in the
long run than the railroad magnates
whose interests are guarded BY high
priced lawyers and their exertness as
manipulators Of markets, or the wage
earners whose organization gives them
more power. Only those who are
specialists upon the subject can form
any intelligent idea as to whether
there exists sufficient reason at a
given time for given increase of
rates. The public can only hope that
when the president and the interstate
commerce commission propose to give
the roads a square deal their efforts
will be directed towards carrying out
that proclamation rather than giving
them the jackpot on a misdeal.