The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-03-12
PEOPLE MUST PAY
FOR RADICAL LAWS
MINING AND RAILROAD MAN
SHOWS ABsURDITY AND IN.
JUSTICE OF NEW LAWS.

Many thoughtful business men be-
lieve that the depression that con-
tinues to hang over the country is
due in a great measure to the fact
that many Of the great railroads of
the country are not making money,
due to national and state laws and
rulings Of the interstate commerce
commission. This is evidently the
view taken by w. H. Coolidge, who is
a leading interest in the affairs Of the
United States Smelling, Mining & Re-
filming company, is also general coun-
sci Of the Boston & Maine railway,
whose affairs are in bad condition.
Notwithstanding this, the Massachu-
sets legislature is considering bills
reducing the hours of station agents
and crossing tenders to eight a day.
Arguing against these before the leg
islature, Mr.. Coolidge made the fol-
lowing remarks which manifest
common sense that is refreshing:
Taxing Peter to Pay Paul.
"You can steal the railroads, you
can confiscate them, but you ought not
to do it. You may make hours of la
Dor as few as you see fit, and pay as
large as you like, assuming you have
power at ALL but at the same time you
tax yourselves in fares and freight to
pay for it. If you make expenses
greater, without giving us opportunity
to get additional revenue, just so long
you are destroying, Gripping the rail-
roads. If the state has the power to
fix rate of wage or time on railroads,
and desires to exercise that power,
don't think that there is any fund to
pay the wages The only fund is the
receipts from people that travel and
ship goods, and if there Is not money
to do it, we have got to go to smash.
have been run all over the United
States under public regulation and
legislation. where apparently those
that had the power did not have the
courage to recognize that they have
got to pay for it.
Parcel Post imposition.
'You are taxing the railroads to
pay for the parcel post. Today the
railroads are being compelled under
the guise Of law to carry express pac-
kages for nothing. The government is
stealing that from the railroads and
they have not the courage to come out
and admit that they are stealing It.
ut would be a fine thing to have
5-hour day, but you can not get !,
without paying for 1t. In 1910, at one
fell swoop, we raised the pay of our
employees, and not Of the high officials,
100000 per year for doing the same
work, and that 100000 was $1,000
900 mo re han the entire dividend of
the Boston & Maine. We went before
the interstate commerce commission
to tax the people to raise enough
creases. No! No! We want to think it
over they replied. In the meantime
three or four years have gone by. The
stock has gone down from $3.50 to $50.
because there is no indication that the
public officials will let the railroad get
in taxes on the public the extra So
10000 we paid our men. In addition,
for use Of freight cars we are now
paying $1,50O,OO0 more per annum
than three or four years ago, total Of
81, 100000 The financial trouble with
Boston & Maine is not with leased
lines or purchase of securities, but
solely due to the wage increase and
car hire"