The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-03
James J. Hill Is a Believer in
Publicity.
Says People Should Know Cor
pOratiOn Matters.
1T is A SOLUTION.
Key to Problem of Present Bust
ness StagnatiOn.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

st. Paul, Mimi, May S.-James j.
Hill, the Great INSTRUMENTATION Pa
cific railroad magnate, sees in publicity
of corporation matters and intelligent
public control of the corporations
themselves, a long step towards the So
luton of the present era Of business
stagnation.
And the United States needs a
saviour" says Mr.. Hill. THE people
have demanded not only the best but
an Improvement on the best, and they
will now have to pay accordingly. II
they don't pay in money, they must
pay in prosperity. The business of the
country increases Is per cent every
year; the facilities for handling this
new business increase only 1-6 of that
The difference in the ratio is too great
and balance must be struck, some
time, else there will be a complete
breakdown Of service or prosperity.
'tWhy don't the facilities for handling
business increase more rapidly? Be-
cause the men behind those facilities
are afraid to spend their money for ex-
tensions and improvements
Mr.. Hill has long been an exponent of
publicity of corporation affairs and
looks upon that as one of the means of
bringing corporation and public to-
gether.
1.-The people are entitled to know
what the public service corporations
are doing and the conditions under
which they transact business" he says.
'T have believed in, and have advo-
Gated, publicity of corporation reports
for many years. When the public be-
comes conversant with corporation af-
fairs and is convinced that it is seeing
from the inside, much of the feeling
against the great business concerns
will pass away. That will be one of
the effects of publicity"
In the matter Of public control OF
= HI Mr.. q a
firm advocate, but he wants that con-
troll to be intelligent; he wants only
trained men in the places of control
"A corporation is a piece of paper
bearing the stamp and seal of the
state" he says. Its life is created by
the people land naturally the people
should have some word in making the
rules under which it transacts business.
That proposition is one 1 have preach
ed for years and now 1 am glad to see
it making Roadway among common
carrier corporations. Last week Presi-
dent Nudge of the Rock Island railroad
declared for public control of rail-
roads; George NJ. Reynolds, president
of the Continental and Commercial Ma
tional bank of Chicago, did the same
thing the week before; T. N. Vail, pres
ident of the American Telephone and
Telegraph, recently made an official re-
port to his board of directors in which
he took firm stand for both publicity
and public control.
But that control must be intelligent
" administered. Public control simply
because it is a control by the public, is
not all 1t must be intelligent, as L
have always contended. Intelligent
people will ask and expect nothing
more. VAIL Reynolds and others are
right in advocating publicity and public
control. Both are things which event
ually will go far towards making
good feeling between the corporations
and the people, and will assist in set
Ting much Of the antagonism when
now seems to prevail