The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-15
RADICAL REGULATION AND
 ITS EFFECT ON BUSINESS

desire on the part of investors to put their money into railroad properties They have been given to understand that prob ably their borrowing capacity is to be limited within narrow lines by the gov ernment so that even if they were willing to make these expenditures, 1t would be difficult for them to obtain the necessary financing. In fact booking at it from any point, the owners of railroad property have nothing to see that would encourage them in spending any money until they have more definite idea as to what extent they are going to be controlled and directed by the national government, and under such circumstances, all of the vast in- dustrial enterprises that are depending upon the railroad will find that at the time that their present orders upon which they are working, issued some six months ago when it was not dreamed of that the present adverse conditions could pos sbly arise, will have been completed. that we will be in practically the same position that we were in during the early part of 1908. Therefore, it is of the great est importance that some, decided action be taken by the government at as early a date as possible, as there will be no im- provement until this uncertainty has been overcome, and in my judgment unless | Congress restraints its interference with the earning capacities of the railroads. l there will be permanent setback in | the general business of the country, that | 1t may take years to overcome. Some congressman think that the rail- | road interests are the real force that is | behind the rapidly growing unrest of the business men regarding legislation. This | Is absurd we need no spur to wake us | up to our unfortunate situation, which | is by no means confined to railroad SUD- l ply institutions.
 l l do not thnk there will be any change in these affairs until the business man, the manufacturer, and their employees realize that they have got to make fight | for their interests.
 l The producers of wool. cotton, tobacco, sugar and many other special articles in this country have so interested them selves in their business that they have forced the general government to put special protective tax on the things they produce, which we arA our employees, who do not produce them, have to pay 1 for and to many of which we do not ob- l ject.
 On the same principal, and for the same reasons, when business men become as active in looking after their interests, and with the same rights, we can induce the general government to gve us equal protection by allowing the railroad com panies who are the producers of our rev enue, to make sufficient profit to enable | them to buy full plenty of the goods they need which we manufacture. This will involve no special tax, will mean better railroad service, and more bush ness for everyone, particularly the work | ing man; and when it is considered that
 in reality 90 per cent of all the money received by the railroads and ourselves goes drectly to the working people, we should have the solid indorsement and in- divi6ual support of every working man in the country.
 | Cause.-The trouble with the whole sit uation is that many of the men who make the laws are not familiar with the true inwardness of the relations and de- | pendence which the manufacturing and l business interests have upon the general railroad situation, nor do they realize that in administering tfeir so-called discipline to the railroad companies. that we are to great extent the ultimate consumers of that discipline
 Remedy--Tell your national and state representatives that a halt must be called on all Radical Railroad Regulation and hand this letter to some one else and ask him to do the same today.
 T. A. GRIFFIN. . Chicago, January, 19i0