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


We publish gladly letter which presents the side of the
railroads in important public question
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY
General Broad Street Station.
H ivy I' I..
Executive Assistant.
My Dear sir|Your papers have commencing
panies grade crossings There is
phase of this subject however, which 20" have
There is no doubt grade crossings great public
must be paid for the who
pay for it, the entire burden should fall apo" the
As you England there practically grade cross,
ing that when the railroads we're first built
was sure that traffic make them
Therefore position that there
should be grade crossings In this country, we had taken
position there would have been many railroads
Everybody, officers included as to the danger
certainly ostrich buins its head the sand to pass
law the whole burden upon the railroad companies and
imagining law the going to
of the bankers of Wall Street
May lventur call attention the policy which Mr.
Rea president Railroad Company recently
forth his opinion the proper one to be pursued in 0V
"PubIio Service Commissions, either munich
paliy railroad commissions own initiative should
the right to designate such grade crossings as should be
should have after hearing all parties in in
terest pporion improvements with due
gard for the interest of all parties concerned"
Respectfully IVY LEE.
Mr. Lee who is a graduate of the Atlanta Boys High
School, of the Rev. j. W. Lee former pastor OF Trinity
Church and who occupies important position the pes
public not egislate unlimited millions into existence or
compel railroads spend money that they haven got
1t an impossibity abolish Immediately ALL of the
grade crossings in the United States
There is enough money in the United States to do that
work immediately And legislation CREATE money
The trouble however as Mr. Lee and Mr. Rea will admit
has been in the past the fair and reasonable attitude
now taken by Rea recently elected president of the Penn
sylvania Railroad.
Railroad management until recently has often been
The
ignorant demagogue.
The railroads can exist only by permission of the public,
they get rights and their from the public and are
able build the public exercises its right of eminent
their 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 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 want has been killed
with money.
not unnatural that representatives the public should
sometimes follow the example set by the railroads
and disregard railroads rights the railroads have dse
garded the rights of the public in the past
This newspaper however opposes unjust legislation against
the railroads strongly opposes public robbery by the rail
It is preposerous say that every grade crossing should
be abolished at and that the railroads should pay the ex
The total capitalization railroads about $6OOOOO
Co., including stock not yet issued
AND S6OOOOoOOO WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TO ABoL-
ISL ALI. THE GRADE CROSSINGS OF THE PENNSYL-
VANIA RAILROAD ALONE!
The United States would have to-day its
railroad mileage the railroads had been compelled to build
without grade crossings would that the United
States would be only developed comparison with
its present development.
Mr. Reas statement and suggestion in regard railroad
crossings his address made that subject recently
New Jersey reasonable and display fair spirit.
The trouble has been in the past that railroads and their
officials have used their to prevent ANY TERFER
ENCE EVEN WITH THE MOST DANGEROUS GRADE
CROSSINGS.
If other railroad officials will follow Mr. example
in good faith submit public questions impartial public off
Gals railroads and the public contributing their fair and proper
share of any expense THE RAILROADS WILL FIND THAT
THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY ARE NOT DISHONEST,
will NOT DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE AND WILL. NOT