South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-20
SAVING THE RAILROADS.


existence 10y the pernicious hand Of
unsympathetic public. and are urged
10 lift a Vote in their behalf lest
everything be hurled to the "demni-
ton bow vows" Lift a voice in be-
half Of the man who works for d pit
lance. and has hard time keeping
soul and body together and you are
an anarchist, OF at least a demagogue.
but If you would be reputed for your
conservatism. and be put down for
man OF real wisdom. array yourself
on the side of the public bleeding cap
italist, and your future il secure 1t
is not alone a matter OF standing in
well with the capitalist They have
succeeded IN saturating the atmo-
sphere with active friendships quite as
persistent in their behalf as they are
in behalf OF themselves. In the cum
ming OF their ways. you even. at times.
find those whom they Cypress, plead
ing for them as though it were for
some sainted benefactor.
Up to a few years ago it occurs to
us that the railroads had a pretty
good time They virtually ran the
country. Subsidized with large tracts
OF land 70 begin with, huge tanks of
water were added TO the subsidies, and
then congress and the various state
legislatures were taken over and made
10 bless them with various sorts OF
4 casllable privileges. The people.
patrons OF the roads were obliged TO
pay interest. dividends and profits on
this sort of thing. Then they woke
up As frequently happens when an
outraged public wakes up. other
things began TO happen. The deter
mination TO bring the railroads down
TO earth. and place them on some sort
OF an actual valuation basis, on which
she patronizing public should pay toll,
may have gotten TO pushing the situa-
tiOn rather hard, but it illustrates the
principle Nobody wants TO rob the
! railroads but neither do they care TO
be robbed by them.
To our mind. This entire agitation
about abuse OF railroads. Stacking
capital. ct cetera, is nothing more nor
less than a part of a general scheme
for the establishment of an era OF re-
action The plan is TO have it wrought
out psychologically; by creating a new
condition of the public mind. This is
not charging sinister motives against
everyone who thinks railroads have
been mistreated. The psychological
effect may just have reached them.
The American people are a fair-mind-
ed people. Appeal TO their fair-mind
edness. and eight out of ten of them
will be inclined TO give up what they
believe to be right than take a chance
on being unfair. You can create most
any condition of public mind that you
wan, 20 by making a scientific study
i OF that mind and OF the methods by
which Il can be reached. and mellow
ed. and then moulded with thoughts
i 20 which II is open.
It is still fresh in the Indiana mem
DRY. the efforts made by Indiana rail-
roads 10 get a half-cent increase in
railroad passenger rates this year,
from the recent legislature From all
the arguments produced. we have seen
but one that would excuse such an
increase. and that one was TO the eff
feet that the roads had been terribly
abused. and that the magnates would
soon have to go to the poor house
and turn their automobiles over for
Junk IL was an argument for SYM
pathy When il was found probable
that their bill would not pass, they
finally got at the heart of our big
sympathetic governor. and plan sat
isfactory 10 all was thought 20 have
been discovered drought the agency
of the public service commission-but
then the Joker" The railroads were
Immediately found back at their old
tricks. and when the revised bill was
finally produced. il was found that
there was no end TO the increases
that the commission might make, as
long as it limited itself each clip to %
yQper cent of the existing passenger
1tes. The result was that there was
nu passenger rate legislation.
And so we have e that the railroads
have been iu-treated again: ill-treat-
ed. we suppose. because the legislature
refused TO be humbugged. IL is too
bad about the poor railroads being
n-treated. bat the public, Is the
public be d." policy. thought To
have been on the wane. to again be
revived AS we have before remark
a. il looks 10 us very much as though
hat were the purpose OF much Of the
present agitation, calculated TO pre-
pare the public mind for il, and in
such a manner as 20 have IL really
ikeable II not actually relished. quite
fter the fashion of some wives who
owe their husbands more every time
hey come home drunk and give them
beating. II is true that the rail-
Dads have done a great deal for
American industry. but has American
{ industry done anything for the rail-
Dads 10 is much the same with re-
gard To passenger traffic. The rail-
Dads have brought the two great