New-York tribune., 1910-11-23
FOR RAIL WAY COMPETITION
Chairman knapp's Views Sur
prise Railroad Association.
THINKS PENALTIES CRUEL
Head of Interstate Commission
Says Regulation May Force
Government Ownership.

Government Ownership.
Martin A Knapp. Chairman Of the Inter
state Commerce Commission. caused Sur
/ prise in many quarters at the dinner Ct
the Railway Business Association last
night when he said
| Il advocate the legal sanction OF the
| railroad association This is the one
sensible plan adapted to present condl-
rions Such q policy would promote the
/ railroads III manner most beneficial 10
| the public and the railroads alike. we
very foolishIy still try 70 force the pr1n-
! ciple OF competition. Every evil OF which
We complain about railroads has its source
/ in the competitive system Competition is
unsuited to prevailing conditions we
can't have at the same time the presence
| OF competition and the absence of dis
| elimination Jnhridlsd c"ilpeAideh haS
! become unbeaTable.
MIR. Knapp said that he was not sure
that government regulation of railroads
! had passed the stage of experiment He
/ mentioned "a sinister shadow over all of
marty politics and ambitions and said
| there were many elements OF doubt Then
| he told the railroad owners present:
| oTf government regulation of railroads
| ends in disappointment and failure, you
| owners of these valuable properties know
/ as well as ] do that the only alternative
is government ownership, with all its social
! dangers and all its deeper perils 70 Repub-
/ lican institutions.
Says None Can Stop Cooperation
Neither legislation nor judicial penal
| ties nor the cry Of the denlagogue can
prevent the spread Of cooperation Shall
we increase competition by the lnnlctlon
! Of penalties whose cruel creed is every
| man for himself? Is society, after all, only
= mass of hrutes fighting for the biggest
| bones and the government only reIetee
| to see that each dog fights fair?
y am not dsmayed by the CRY OF Ihe
rnonopoIies and unions They came VIII!
the railroads. and they have come 10 sIaS'
| Mr. Knapp wished it understood that the
| government must hold the scales OF Jusuce
in stable equilibrium. The selhshness OF
/ human nature he said. was present on
both the shippers and the carriers sides
4 He has discovered he said, that the snip
Der was not always the under dog in the
dght It frequently has happened, he
added. that saippers have got quite the
best of the bargain
| Mr.. Knapp promised. that the Interstate
/ Commerce Commission would never Vie"
conditions from the angle that the public
was In need OF help and the railroads could
take care Of themselves.
Eight hundred business men attended the
dinner at the Waldorf. George A. Post,
president of the association, presided, but
said that although strongly tempted ne
would not hog the spotlight" He intro
duced Daniel Willard. president of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, as a man with
of I-ajn and
TO the death of his sister. Miss Alice VIII
lard at North HartIand, Vt, whose funeral
VIII be held to-day, NT. Willard retired i'm
mediatelv on finishing his speech. He said
he did not wish 10 be understood as op-
posed 10 government supervision Of rail
roads.
For Effective Government Regulation.
81 am convinced" he continued, that
under all the circumstances il is for the
best interests of all-railroads well as
the pubIic-that thers-should be effective
governmental regulation. But It is also
equally important that such supervision or
regulation be fair as well as effective, and
that it be not so extended as to destroy or
discourage individual initiative and enter
prise. ! will even so so Ear as to say that
I am also convinced that the only alterna-
tive TO such control by the government as
I have indicated Is government ownership
Personally I am opposed TO government
ownership Of railroads.
Mr.. Willard was the chief witness al the
Chicago hearing OF the Interstate Com
nerce Commission on the proposed ad-
vance in freight rates. AS the object Of
the dinner last night was apparently TO
ccunteract public anti-railroad sentiment
it was deemed significant that Nj Willard
should speak from the same platform as
Mr. Knapp, the deciding voice in the Inter
state Commerce Commission. Mr. Willard
Fsaid, in part:
! am extremely anxious to see a better
/ understanding reached if possible between
/ the railroads and those who use them. /
( think the roads, through their proper Of
fcers. should cooperate as far as possible
with the Interstate Commerce COMMISSION
in trying 70 bring about 2 better under
standing The commission, charged with
greatly increased responsibilities, will, !
have nc doubt. gladly welcome a spirit or
j CO. operation on the part OF the carriers
have confidence in the Intelligence and
integrity OF the commission. It is the duty
OF the roads 10 see That the commission
is fully informed concerning the roads
necessities. II IS OF great Importance also
that the atmosphere Of public discussion
should be so free from heat that the com
mission may be assisted and not impeded
by public opinion III reaching Just ana wise
conclusions 10 lhls emu, pe!ieNe, most
of the railroads by their present policy in
dealing with the pGbllc are earnestly en-
deavOTine 10 avoid needless antagonisn. IN
the past certain Objectionable practices grew
Up which greatly sXaSperated the people,
but laws have been pasted forbidding the
! things complained Of. and establishing q
| commission 70 see that the laws are obeyed
The rebate ana unjust determinations have
disapp ppeared, or Il not altogether so. then
relief IS 10 be found in the enforcement
q existing laws,
! think the roads should keep out OF
politics This makes il necessary to take
the public into their confidence as far as
possible, SO that the public. being fully
ana correctly informed, may act intelli-
gently and fairly toward the railroads
/ positively know that there is to-day II
the minds OF railroad managers feeling
of uncertainty. Of hesitancy. as regards
the future. Possibly that feeling is not
justified by the conditions. None the less
the feeling IS there and il is dominating
the situation. The all important question
is, 1 view II. how can the feeling OF
6istrust which now rightly or wrongly SO
tpcwerfuliy influences the policy Of the
railroads be allayedH / should say by
removing the cause.
Lei the people who use the roads and
want the roads now indicate that, having
secured the passage Of such laws as they
considered necessary in order to create
the conditions complained OF. they are
now willing 70 forget the past and open
a new account with the future. Let
them consider each new proposal for legis-
tTn- -. -Fsdfa fad dnT71