The sun., 1910-01-16
FEDERAL RULE OF RAILROADS
GOV. FORT I0TeES HIS STATES
IIED -OF THE PROBLEM.
WiIIiDg That NewJersey ehouId surrender
Control n the Hest Interests OF the
Country Demand It-ChanccIlOr Day
Questions Wisdom OT state Control.

chief subject discussed by the speakers
at the ANNUAL dinuer of the Traffic Club
of Neas &York az the Waldorf Astoria last
night - .
At the guest table sat Judge r. $.
Lovett, president Of the Hartman lines;
T.. c. Stiibbs, the Hartman traffic man
sgeE ex-senator willism A. Clark Presi
dent Tricsdale of , the Lackawanna.
f. p. Thomas, Ralph Peters, Walker
D. Hines, b. d. Caldwell, George A.
Cullen, T.. +. Loomis. E. +. Jeffrey, +. G.
Warfield Supreme Court Justice Page.
Col. Austen Colgate, United States Dis
trict Attorney Henry A. Wise and Will
lam A. Barber.
Others at the dinner were John Ar
buckle, Gen. Henry c. Barnett. the Hon.
John w. Davis, Robert B. Dula, Col. John
A, Hun. Charles +. McTague, James w.
Osborne. Col. W. D. Washington and
". T., Woodrow. The POSTMASTER was
Charles F. Moore.
Gov. Fort, who was the chief speaker
OF the. evening, in his speech talked OF
state Regulation Of Railroads" Said he.
The problem is not to rid ourselves
of corporate organizations but what lines
to fix as the limit OF their power and what
regulation by the nation or State, or both.
IL essential and proper. The man who
opposes fixing the limits of corporate power
and the regulation of corporations by. the
nation or State, or both:is as much out of
date as the man who this day opposes them
altogether. Organizations so potential and
so essential in our business life need to
be brought into harmonious relations with
the state. Business cannot get on with
out the corporation and IL cannot get on
unlessits relations witht the State are clearly
defined We must find some ground OF
mutual advantage. ....,
Gov. Fort said that he did not believe
that the solution lay IN Government
ownership nor in the State undertaking
TO manage or control corporate business.
The directors of corporation ARE the
oniv ones to control. II they fail the
courts should he the proper place to
punish them and not any board or COM
mttee setTfS by the State.
Gov Fort referred to the recent special
message of Pres ident Taft on corpora
tiohs and said that the Presidents view
Of the power of Congress seems TO carry
the doctri ne as TO the implied power in
constitutional construction TO a point
that VIII almost shock the conscience of
the conservative and strict constructionist
OF old. He will certainly say this il pro-
posed Capitalization with yengence.
and it is" VS.
Thefo are worse things that could happen
to this republic than a greater infusion
Of HanrtdnjpH epPtnciplcs. Pardon me
n say here fhat have great faith in Presi-
dent Taft, because Of his great legal knowl-
edGe and judicial training. as Construc-
attfA rather" than destructive statesman.
! w will Aet write anything for effect or
that he aoes not Believes 10 he he true legal
rule on construction and clearly within
constitutional powers. Re may be wrong.
That Is Human. but We must all recognize
fl.Fa Il
or the Federal Constitution can only he
Sc tied a.. the courts shall expand or limit
-Nf'tA Al presehr the trend Of the decisions
Of the supreme Court Of the United States
4 do mot indicate any purpose to limit II
This, ! think. is rather hopeful sign than
otherwise The difficulty Is to diferentiate
where control ends and re equation begins.
- Coy, Fort said that one of the great mis-
s4Akes made by railway officials has been
10 oppose State regulation of any kind.
The American people do not like that.
: andsfhe officials seem to forget that the
2 people know perfectly well that railway
tfoperty is qIiasi-pubic and not private.
and that there is no such thing as private
right 40 the exclusion of government
regulation in interstate commerce.
Concerning President Taft suggestion
that State authority shall he excluded
over interstate railways. Gov. Fort said
that his State does not care to lose any
Of it's corpora tions, but declared:
I believe in This nation. in it, greatness
ard in he Union OF the States and il to
solidify and strengthen tho republic and
/. 70, promote. the Legitimate growth snd do
Nelopnfenf OF the industrial interests of
'this nation F~derul incorporation seems
essential ! shall not be found against the
broadening Of national power on any theory |
: or State lines or boundaries,
Gov Fort said that he believed that
President Taft is the right man to work
oin the present problem. His whole
training in sta tatesInanship and in judicial |
work has tended to broaden his view |
hbeTalize his policies, aid promote CON |
servBtisLn III lrs action. he will be firm |
beyond question, but he will not strike |
until he hears; and not then, in my |
opinion, to- the detriment OF any true |
business interests of this great and |
prosperous republic, which he. with all
the rest of us. so feTventiy loves"
Il don't think a man is qualified To run |
the Delaware and Hudson, the Lehigh |
Valley or the New York Central because |
he has served two or three terms in the |
State Legislature and a couple OF terms |
in Congress said Ohancellor Day of |
posed that 10 be able to qualify for such |
joh a man ought at least he able to take al
CIerkship in one of those ruads. Com |
smerce nan't I've fastened in a box by the |
carpentry of legislation Things in boxes |
are usually inannatc
;. "All. this antitrust talk and ant-cor- |
poration legislation rs due largely to |
certain false principles and entirely |
wrong conceptions. The principle that |
each man must have AN equal chance |
with every other man is very beautiful |
and entertaining to some of us. but il |
10 brimful of fallacies. Il
I'VE were not born equal. never were
equal and never will be equal Who is the |
{ responsible authority? The Creator who |
made ils. Sometimes q poor man be- |
comes the equal OF rich man and an |
I ignorant man takes his place with a |
learned man, but the whole thing works
out by the beautiful law of evolution
You cant legislate n man into equality |
with another man, You cant make a |
big corporation little and a httls corpora |
ton big by legislation. You can't iegis- |
late small man into big man. There
us NO real piety in the little branch road |
aAcompared with the. iniquity of trunk |
line .'.r.r.'
Il am not able TO understand " hy |
men who have taken hold of the corporate !
interests should be considered enemies !
of the country I haliaNa tho man NuhO /