The Detroit times., 1911-01-23
LAST PLEA WAS
FOR FAIR PLAY
Late Paul Morton Said Less Agitation
Against Combines for While
Would Benefit Nation.

NEW fOhh, Jan. zl.-ftis iasl III
teryiew on public questions was given
by the late Paul Morton TO the United
Press shortly before his sudden death.
II was In answer TO a statement made
to the United Press by Gov. Hiram
Johnson, OF California, TO the effect
that individual rights were TO be CIV
en- precedence over corporate right In
that state. Mr. Morton was asked
whether IL was possible for both In
dividual and corporate right to be
properly protected without injury TO
each other. His statement follows:
BY PAUL MORTON.
Copyright, 1911, by the United Press
Associations.)
I would be sorry TO think that there
was not some fair platform on which
individual rights and property rights
might stand with equality. There Is
not any question but every patriotic
citizen considers the rights OF men
paramount to the rights OF property,
but that does not justify the public
in ignoring the latter. My observa-
ton has been that where a railroad
or amy other corporation or any indi.
vidual, secures a franchise, or any
thing else In the way OF special
privilege and which was unfair to the
public, or succeeded In any way, In
having laws construed that unreason-
ably favored said property or indi-
vidual, sooner or later these special
privileges were taken away and that
| in ia ing them away, the corporations
or individual who had enjoyed them
generally paid good interest for their
use.
have always believed that the rail-
roads should not engage In politics.
think IL most important that they
s-olld keep out OF politics and think
II is just as fair that the politicians
should leave the railroads alone and
when | say leave them alone, | mean
not to bait them or use them as q
means to get into Office. II Is very
difficult for the railroads to refrain
from politics II the politicians attack
them. | think railroads should be
regulated, ut | believe they are en-
titled to the same fair treatment that
individuals are. 1, belle that the
railroads mean to accord everybody
fair treatment In return.
! The railroads of the United States
ara owned largely by the frugal peo-
pie OF the country. the people who
ara economical and who invest their
savings, either indirectly, or through
tko savings banks and trust COM
panies or by purchasing life insur-
ance. The life insurance companies
Of the United States are said % own
nearly one-eighth OF all the railroad
bonds issued by American railroads
and this Is very little understood by
people generally.
Corporations are just as essential
to the welfare of this country as are
freight cars. They are merely agen-
cies through which the commerce OF
the country Is being transacted and
as | have said before, consider our
great industrial combinations the bat
tleships of commerce with which we
| are TO capture the business OF the
world. Foreign markets are most es-
sential to our manufacturers and In
order to reach them there must be
the utmost cooperation between cap
ital and labor and the government it,
self should do everything 1t reason
ably can to promote harmonious rela-
tons.
| think that corporate practices has
been very much improved during the
last five years and that things that
once were thought to be right are not
n ? tolerated. | am Of the opinion
that out of all the agitation which we
have had in the last five years. much
good has resulted and yet I believe IL
we had less agitation and less legisla-
ton for a while we would be better
of. have always believed that in
telligent combination and centraliza-
ton are much preferable to unrestrict-
ed competition. I think II Is better
for labor, better for capital and better
for the nation. But all combinations.
whether OF capital or OF labor should
be reasonable and should have eff
cient service always in view.