The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-29
RAILROADS ARE NOT TAcTFuL.

Many of the great carrying corpora
tons of the United States are at
present appealing for more liberal
treatment on the part of legislative
bodies, federal and state, and for fair
er treatment on the part of the gen
Ieral public. The appeal is not unan-
swered. There is an evident wide
spread disposition to hear and con-
slider carefully the railway side of
the question. Public opinion has not
committed itself as yet to acceptance
Of all the contentious raised on be-
half of the railways, but 1t appears to
be leaning more favorably toward
some Of them than 1t was two years,
one year or even six months ago. 1t
I Is beginning to see and acknowledge
that in its efforts to right things that
were manifestly wrong it went to ex-
tremes in certain instances. 1t is
willing to concede at present, for the
sake of argument, that it is not quite
equitable to compel the companies to
Increase their expenditures while re-
|stricting their opportunities for In
icreasing receipts. In well-consider-
ed article on the subject the Chris
tian Science Monitor points out that
lit is in pressing this very point upon
unbiased people, already fairly we'll
convinced, and upon general public
that seems willing to be convinced.
that the spokesman of the carrying
corporations are in danger of making
grave mistake. That Is, they are
proceeding along line that If pur-
sued too far is certain to raise the
whole question of the proper relation
ship OF the public to railway policy
and administration, something that is
likely to involve discussion that will
postpone an adjustment OF the railway
situation Indefinitely. Says the Mon
litor:
"In other times, no doubt, force was
half Of railways by statements setting
forth the amounts of money the co.,
porations were paying out for this,
that and the other purpose. The rail
ways often set themselves up as phil
anthropists by telling what vast sums
they were spending annually for labor,
equipment, improvements and better
ments. and what great sums they
were paying into the public treasures
In the nature of taxes And in less
thoughtful and exacting days, the PEG.
pie and their representatives were
often influenced to grant valuable
favors In return for such statements
Of disbursements Popular thought.
more inclined in these days to concen-
tration and analysis In such matters,
cannot be successfully, or even safely
approached in this way. For instance.
v hen the manager of great trans
Dortatlon system says, as one said the
other day. Our company has paid
cut S10,93G,134.90 to comply with the
laws, state and federal, expecting
upon the strength OF this to gain sym
pathy for his corporation, he Is pretty
certain to be disappointed. For the
public has come to regard the moneys
at the disposal Of the railway corpor-
atoms as trust rather than private
funds. These moneys came from pub
lie franchises, from opportunities ere,
ated by the public. from public trag-
fic. 1t is a mistake at this late day
for any carrying company to assume
an inherent right to the privileges 1t
enjoys. to undertake to place the pub
jlc under obligations for doing what
lit is manifestly right II should do as
the agent. or. better still, the servant
of the people,"
/ The Monitor holds to the view that
the railways are expanding public
rather than private money when they
pay for the maintenance of their lines:
that thew are simply CARRYING out the
! 'rms of their contract when they