Evening journal., 1911-01-11
REGULATION
OF RAILROADS
Henry RidGeIy Touches on
Subject at Horticultural
Convention
POINTS OUT SOME
NEEDED LEGISLATION

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.
DOVER, Del, Jan. 11.-Hitting al
a reform, the dawn Of which is now
apparent. in the matter of the deal
ings between the railroads and the
people of this State. Henry Ridgely,
Dover's lawyer. author and speaker.
made a stirring address of welcome
to the Peninsula Horticultu~ists here
yesterday afternoon. In conclusion,
Mr. Ridgely said:
"A dozen years ago governmental
regulation of railroad rates was con-
sidered by many as the extreme of
radicalism. To-day it is an established
policy Of the nation. II is not, it
should not be. question Of anti
railroad or pro-railroad. II is merely
a recognition Of the fact that the
power TO make o. mar the prosperity
of a whole community and the fortune
Of its people land such is undoubtedly
the power possessed by an unregu-
lated railroad particularly where
there is no competing linel is too
great a power to be left in the hands
OF private organization Of indiyid-
uals without due safeguard and prop
er restrictions. Railroad directors
may be no worse than other individ-
uals, but they are certainly not
above human frailties nor the temp
tation accompanying unrestrained
power TO exert itself for private ends.
For these reasons and others, / be-
lieve railroad rate regulation 10 be a
step forward in the progressive move
ment which ! hope is to characterize
the future of our country II must
be remembered, however. that
this regulation cannot reasonably
be expected to act automatically.
However wise the members Of the In
tersiate Commerce Commission may
be, their duties are so manifold and
so complex as to render It a practical
impossibility for them to keep IN
touch with conditions in all parts Of
this vast country and to act upon
such conditions of their own motion.
II is of cardinal importance. there
fore. that the people In this State
should have specific and accurate in
formation as TO railroad rates I gem
eral in order that the ekuity or in
equity Of rates established here, may
be tested and the matter laid before
the Commission should the facts war
/ rant. Whatever is everybOdies' bust
ness is. however. generally speaking,
] nobodies', and | believe, therefore,
that the duty and responsibility Of
obtaining such information and OF
laying It before the Commission I'm a
proper case should be vested in some
/ official or some organization. This
does not mean of necessity the estab-
lishment of a State Public Service
Commission. Frankly, I am not con-
vinced that a commission of this sort
would be an unmixed blessing 20
DelawareAns. The dtdy and RESPONSE
even be self-assumed by some
organization, such as yours The
main point that I urge is that it
should be vested somewhere. This is
not radical agitation. II Is merely
conservative precaution. We have
laws against public offenses and We
have courts 10 enforce obedience or
impose punishment. but these laws
and these courts would be of small
value were it not that the power Of
investigation and the p~esentation Of
facts 20 our courts is vested in GER
tain bodies and officials
In his annual address President
Bancroft said
Were Il possible to take YOU
through the surrounding country we
could show You the same general inn
provemcnt among our farmers and
fruit growers. My own shipping sta
ton, three miles below. has a new
national bank, water works and one of
the finest ice plants on the peninsula,
and is now holding poultry show of
no mean proportions
81 have had the pleasure Of being a
member of this society since its first
organization, and in looking back owe,
the intervening years find none
showing more marked advanceme
along horticultural lines than tn,
one just closed. Thousands of the
most carefully selected trees of the
q best varieties ever set in American
soil We're planted, and they will b'
cared for with a degre of intelligence
/, never before bestowed upon frui
, trees. The eastern fruit section II
! feeling a stimulus that will push
forward to the position it SHOULD
rightfully occupy.
THE Peninsula fruit crop of 1917
was truly a record and wal
probably more widely distributed thar
ever before. Such distant cities as ST
Louis. Minneapolis and st Paul clam
ored for our summer apples and th'
much-maligned Keiffer pear went as
far as Huron and Sioux City, man,
of them under refrigeration.
More care is being given to prun
ing. spraying Cultvating, picking
packing aud marketing than ever be
fore. Our horticultural development
cannot be better illustrated than II