The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1910-03-25

creased desire on the part of invests.
to put their money into railroad ' s
critics. They have been given y nup
derstand that probably their bo - Y
ing capacity is to be limited MN
narrow lines by the Governma,.
that even if they were willing Il ~
these expenditures, it would ba s,s
cult for them to obtain the necass.a
financing. -..-..-
In fact, looking at it from anv ~.
the owners of railroad property NJ ~.
nothing to see that would encors
them in spending any money ns ss
they have more definite idea =
what extent they are going to he 8.
trolled and directed by the Natiop.,
Government, and under such clrcan
stances, all of the vast industrial ].
terprises that are depending upon 4.
railroads, will find that at the t,m.
that their present orders upon which
they are working, issued some I.
months ago when 1t was not dreams
of that the present adverse condtior.
could possibly arise, will have bes,
completed, that we will again be 4
practically the same position that W
were in during the early part Of IsM
In my judgment unless Congress 4
strains its interference with the earn
ing capacities of the railroads, then
will be a permanent setback in ths
general business of the country, that 4,
may take years to overcome.
Some Congressman think that tha
railroad interests are the real forcs
that is behind the rapidly growing in.
rest of the business men regardln,
legislation. This is absurd; we need
no spur to wake us up to our unfor.
tunate situation, which is by no mean,
confined to railroad supply institutions
There are 100000 railroad EN-.
ployees. 1t takes 100000 men to sun.
ply what the railroads need, and a
vast number of men are employed in
supplying the personal needs of the
above 100000 men. Every kind Of
business is dependent in some meas
ure on railroad prosperity.
The producers of wool, cotton 10
bacco, sugar and many other speeia
articles in this country, have so in
terested themselves in their bushes
that they have forced the Genera
, Government to put a special protect
i've tax on the things they produce
which we and our employees, who d
not produce them, have to pay fo
and to many of which We do not OIL
, ject.
, On the same principle, and for Ii
, same reasons, when business men b
come as active in looking after the
! interests, and with the same right
' we can induce the General Cover
, ment to give us equal protection |
. allowing the railroad companies, wi
+ are the producers of our revenue,
: make sufficient profit to enable the
y to buy full plenty of the goods tn
! need which we manufacture. This "
2 involve no special tax, will mean b
q ter railroad service, and more bu
/ ness for everyone, particularly I
|. working man; and when it is cons
" cred that in reality 900 of all
r money received by the railroads a
p ourselves goes directly to the work.
r. people, we should have the solid
q dorsement and individual support
? every working man in the country
q Cause.-The trouble with the VIII
d situation is that many of the men v
v make the laws are not familiar "
10 the true inwardness. of the RELATE
# and dependence which the manu-
" turing and business interests hi
d upon the general railroad situau
% nor do they realize that in admins
h ing their so-called discipline to
N railroad companies that we are the
re- innate consumers" of that discipline
at Remedy:-It is Of the greatest
ty portance that some decided action
lie taken by the Government at as ear
v date as possible, as there will be no
at provement until this uncertainty
re been overcome.
40 January %, 1910.
n T. A. GRIFFI!
'crtissmeEk