The Washington herald., 1914-03-24
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE l. c. c.

ness editor of the New York Ameri
AN, has written an open letter to tn
members of the Interstate Commcrc
Commission, in which he forcefully de
'cribes the national railway crisis ant
makes strong appeal for early and in
elligent action by the governing body
Here is the letter:
Gentlemen Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission:
Are you aware that, partly owing
to your course of action. the country
Is In peril. Of suffering an upheavsl
disastrous to labor. to the railroads.
to investors, to industry. to the public
at large and to the administration?
Do you realize that in your hands
have been placed responsibilities COM
parable only with those devolving
upon the Supreme Court Of the United
States?
You have been given control OF the
greatest industry In the country. its
system of transportation. on whose
welfare depends, directly or Indirectly.
the welfare OF every man, woman and
child in the Union.
You are responsible to Congress
alone.
You are more than a quasi judicial
body: there have been reposed in you
administrative functions of the grav-
est Importance.
Now. rightly or wrongly. your ac-
tions have created the very general
belief that, instead of holding the
scales of Justice even between the
railroads and shippers, you have be-
come an anti-railroad body.
In ruling-perhaps wisely-against
the increase in freight rates applied
for in 1910 you gave reasons which
were supported by arguments and sta
tistics embodying serious tmisrepre-
sentation of facts. Your misuse of
figures on that occasion raised doubts
In well-informed minds OF your desire
or your ability-to be strictly i'm
partial in dealing with large railroad
and financial problems.
Since then the position of our rail-
roads has grown distinctly worse,
The confidence OF investors, both in
Europe and at home. has been so
shaken that many roads are today In
a parlous financial state.
During the years 1914. 1915 and 1916
maturing railroad obligations alone
viii call for upward of $1,000, Oo, 600
this without providing one dollar of
additional capital for any purpose
whatsoever.
How debts falling due are TO be
met and new capital necessary TO
maintain solvency is to be raised are
problems now exercising grave concern
In the financial and raIIruaa world.
"hether these problems can be
handled without pIunging the country
into general disaster depends in large
measure upon the course you choose 10
follow The eyes II financial Europs
and of thinking American citizens are
upon you at this moment, anxiousIy
awaiting announcement Of your policy
The State Of mind existing today in
the most responsible circles is not
conducive to that speedy return of
prosperity which the deplorable prev
alence OF Unemployment and discon-
tent renders so extremely desirable.
without overstating the facts. il can
De sald that those who are charged
win the task of directing and man
aging the country's railroads are in
danger. II further denied the CO.
operation of the government and
your body, OF abandoning as homeless
all efforts TO overcome multiplying
difficulties.
l beg you TO ponder these words Ut
tered this week by Samuel Rea. presI-
uent OF the Pennsylvania Railroad.
This statement is not made to pre-
olct calamity. but II is made to pre-
vent calamity"
Ihere is more need than YOU. per-
haps realize, for efforts to prevent
calamity
"hat are you gentlemen Of the In
terstate Commerce Commission. You
guardians Of the nations railroads
doing to prevent calamity?
one OF your number has Just CAUSED
10 De published in sensational manner.
charges of serious irregularities
against the Chicago. Milwaukee G. 81
raul Railway, which irregularities"
confined wholly TO bookkeepin--
were committed several years ago
and pointed out at that time by the
financial press.
Has 1t taken you three years TO dis
cover what the financial press dis
covered Immediately the COMPANY is
sued its annual report?
IL not. why is the subject traated
by you so sensationally at this un-
fortunate juncture. when the solyency
OF numbers OF railroads and the posi
uon of the railroads as a whole are
occasloning so much concern and mill
tating so strongly against a revival in
business which, IL much longer de-
layed. cannot but lead to unhappy con-
sequences to government and gov
erned alike?
Not content TO aggravate the un-
rest by barking back at this tuncture
TO a three-year-old incident admitted
ly indefensible. you add the alarming
statement that "'in MANY instances
similar irregularities have been Der
petrated.
Why this vague. panic-breedins al
legation?
Are you cOncealing wrongdoing by
MANY other roads?
Is ii your intention 10 explode these
bombs periodically. whenever your
fancy. or what you may regard as
expediency. dictates?
Why single out one railroad for ex-
posure and shield MANY OTHERS
You know 10 be equally guilty?
Can you not see how disquietinr is
the effect Of your very serious alIega-
ton?
How are investors to know that the
road whose securities they hold is not
one OF the MANY who have juggled
their accounts to flimflam the public?
The st. Pauls shares shrank $500. 900
in market value on your unexpected
and alarmist announcement.
Are other stocks to be forced down
equal amounts from time to time,
whenever you see fit to expose the
MANY guilty companies?
Gentlemen, / ask you to consider
whether the time for purposeless re-
elimination has not passed.
i ask you to consider whether the
time hassnot come to cease DE-
STRUCTIVE action and to concen-
trate upon a CONSTRUCTIVE policy.
You have before you, and have had
before you for many months an ap-