The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-18
GRANGER ROADS FATHER

ought to carry their freight for nothing.
The same sort of conduct On the part OF
politicians became common in other sec
tons OF the Western country. Batting the
railroads appeared to be the easiest and
surest way OF getting into public Office.
But when a panic in business comes
again-a wide panic that affects the en-
tire Countrywide people viii reflect in
their leisure and measure their politicians
and arrive at just conclusions. And
their opinions then, I believe, viii be
permanent However, there IS no sign
OF panic now. with a crop OF 5000 900, coo
bushels of corn coming in and big crops
Of everything else"
''Do you claim" I asked. that the
railways have always been fair in their
dealings with the people,"
Had TO Make Business.
II know it is said they have not been
fair with the public. A railroad-but in
larger way. of course-is like a village
merchant The merchant cannot prosper
unless his customers are making money.
The big roads Of the West laid their
tracks over uninhabited prairies and
through virgin forests. When the tracks
we're down the officers Of the roads be-
gan TO make businesS-to make il, and
not to look for it. you must remember,
because there wasn't any business at the
time. They first attempted to persuade
people to move upon the vacant land
The reasoning was simple IL a farmer
raised wheat and cattle, he would buy
machinery, groceries, and clothing He
was the only possible unit in the plans
of the transportation managers His
freight. grain. and live stock would be
sent TO market and his purchases would
be brought back in the same cars The
engine that took his wheat and steers
would bring sugar, cloth, plows, and
hardware. His robbery, simply as
business proposition, would have been
idiotic and mOnstrous Nobody but a
fool would have thought of it or given
II countenance. Wrongs We're done occa-
slonally, as wrongs are done in every
business under heaven, but they were
righted as they became manifest.
Il have spoken of South Dakota It Is
a cold country. The hot winds you know
about People had moved in. 1t was
vital that they should stay in. If they
hadn't any money, We hauled their coal
for nothing We organized a system of
fuel relief When a town was showed
UP 20 the roofs. we dug it out. We were
not benefactors. but business men. Our
purpose was to save South Dakota, to
ill it with freight producers and freight
and we accomplished our OBJ
ject
Presently we were accused OF giving
rebates. President Taft said not long
ago that certain kinds Of business were
built up and into nonopolies with the
help of rebates He is mistaken. / make
no defense of the practice. once common.
of privately cutting freight rates to ship
pers. But the results of rebating were
not what has been claimed for them.
So our political economy is fallacious in
that respect.
Everybody Got Rebates.
mo man was denied a rebate Ship
pers came. asked and recefved-all ship
pers. The Standard Oil Company is said
to have grown rich and powerful be-
cause Of favors secretely given by rail-
road corporations-favors denied its COM
petftors. Now we should be precise in
our thinking and talking. We should
not rear a structure of philosophy on a
foundation OF error or exaggeration AS
a matter of fact, the Standard would