Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-26

Broad treetS
Philadelphia.
Executive Assistant
NV Dear srgYour papers have been commanding
Gently passed Jersey places the railroad
panies of removing crossings There
important this subject however which you have
There !. crossings great public
menace and should Of removal
end those who benefited are the ones who
ought pay the entire burden should fall upon the
railroads delay railroads would be bankrupt
As England there are practically no grade cross
was sure " ma. t n t oId TAX. tbs position that there
grade In this country we had taken
position there would not have been so many railroads
Everybody, railroad officers included agrees as " the danger
Objectionable character grade crossings But
certainly like the ostrich buryng is head in the sand to pass
tmssioing that through such law the money going come
May venture your attention the policy which Mr.
president of the PennsyVsOa Railroad Company recently
set forth as IN ~. op'n o.p IN. proper ' - -
SPuSIo service Commissions on either munich
pslHy railroad, commissions initiative should
designate such grade crossings as should be
should after hearing all parties in
appOrton such improvements with due
gard for the interest of all parties concerned
Mr. Lee who is graduate of the Atlanta Boys High
School, and the Rev w. Lee former pastor of Trinity
Church. who occupies important position near the pres
dent Pennsylvania Railroad right in his statement that
the public can egate unlimited millions into existence or
compel railroads to spend money that they haven't got
1t is an mpossbity to abolish Immediately ALL of the
grade crossings in the United States
enough money in the United States to do that
work immediately And legislation not CREATE money
The trouble however, Mr. Lee and MIR Rea will admit,
has the past lack of the fair and reasonable attitude
now by Mr. Rea recently elected president OF the Penn
sylvania Railroad.
Railroad management until recently has often been
giant and unreasonable as the foolish legislator the most
ignorant denagogue
The railroads exist only by permission of the public,
thew get their rights and their from the public and
tOf
domain behalf yet the railroads have refused for years
to recognize in the public ANY RIGHTS AT ALL.
Stockholders in the railroads have been robbed
in every conceivable way ut true that the Pennsylvania has
been an honorable exception in this regard)
Legislation that the railroads WANTED has been bought
with money.
And legislation that they did NOT has been killed
with money.
not unnatural that representatives of the public should
their sometimes follow the example set by the railroads
and disregard railroads rights the railroads have disre
garded the rights of the public in the past,
This newspaper however opposes unjust legislation against
railroads strongly opposes public robbery by the rail
roads.
preposterous say that every grade crossing should
be abolished at and that the railroads should pay the
pense.
The total capitalization of the railroads about $6OOOOO
OOO including stock not yet issued
AND S8OOOOOOOO WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TO ABoL-
ISL ALL THE GRADE CROSSINGS OF THE PENNSYL-
VANIA RAILROAD ALoNE
The United would to-day onequarer of its
railroad mileage the railroads had been compelled build
without grade crossings That would that the United
States would be only oneuarer developed comparison with
present development
Mr. Reas and suggestion regard to railroad
crossings and his address made that subject recently
New Jersey reasonable and display a fair spirit
The trouble has been in the past that railroads and their
officials have used their to ANY INTERFER
ENCE EVEN WITH THE MOST DANGEROUS GRADE
CROSSINGS.
other railroad officials follow Mr. Rea s example and
good faith submit public questions impartial public
Gals railroads and the public contributing their fair proper
share of any expense TIE RAILROADS WILL FIND THAT
THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY ARE NOT DISHONEST.
WILL NOT DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE, AND WILL NOT
BIZ LED INTO PATHS OF CONVERSATION OR UNJUST
ASSESSMENT BY THE NEWSPAPERS THAT THEY
TRUST.