The log cabin Democrat., 1914-10-27
THE PEOPLE AND THE RAIL-
 ROADS.

There has been a marked change in the sentiment of the people toward the railroads within the past year. Part of this change is doubtless a natural reaction from the intense anti-railroad sentiment developed a few years ago and part of it is due to skilful publicity work of railroad press agents.
 But there undeniably exists at pres ent a feeling among the people that the fight against the railroads has been waged long enough; that the once plutocratic enemy of the public has been reduced to 8 state of help lessness and many of it's armies have been forced to surrender to receivers, while others are at the point where they will soon have to raise the white flag of bankruptcy. They have been attacked, as it were, from land, sea and air. While the state and national governments have been constantly at work to reduce their income by de- creasing freight and passenger tar ifs they have been subjected at the same time to levies imposed by the governments in the way of increased taxation and to add to their misfor- tunes their operating expenses have been continually increased to meet the demands of labor. The Frisco, the Rock Island the Wabash and other great systems have already given up the fight and passed into the hands of receivers. At the time the New York stock exchange closed Missouri Pacific was selling around $8 and $1O for $100 shares and the stocks of other splendid railroad properties was correspondingly low.
 Besides these evidences that the bat tie has been carried to an undue ex- treme, there are signs of a rapidly increasing sentiment that the pros- perity of the people depends almost as much upon that of the railroads as does the prosperity of the rail- roads upon that of the. people. So closely are railroads related with every activity of human endeavor that one cannot suffer without the other suffering.
 There Was good cause for the war fare upon the great transportation systems. Unquestionably they had abused their privileges, trampled up- on the peoples rights, arrogantly de- fled the law and corruptiy robbed their own stockholders and the public as we'll. But it should not be the policy of civilized government to continue to the point of extermina- ton the fight against an enemy. that has been soundly and decisively whipped. The destructive processes have gone far enough and construc- tive work should now begin.
 While the financial situation re- sulting from the European war~has increased the emergency of the rail roads, there is reason for believing that their plea for slight advances in rates would be justifiable even under normal conditions. The addition of about five per cent to freight rates and the change from two cent to two and one-half cent fares would not be severe burden upon the people and it would not only save many rail roads from bankruptcy but would en- able them to give better service to their patrons Here on our own di- vision of the Missouri Pacific, for in stance, a fast train which gave the travellers the best service they had ever enjoyed was recently taken off because it did not pay Yet the time which this extra train saved the people would compensate many times over for the difference between a two cent and two and one-half cent, or even a three cent fare.
 There should be no disposition to remove all restrictions and allow the railroads the ungoyerned liberties they once possessed. But such legis- lation should be enacted as would permit them to earn reasonable re- turn from their investments and put them in position to give better service to the people.