The weekly soliphone., 1915-02-19
PLAYING AN OPEN HAND.

nertainng to their interests and it is well that they
should do So In former years there have been muer
;nas Of the secret lobby the state capitol rail
d ttornevs and professional lobbyists thronged the
Corridors Of the hotels at Little Rock and money was
freely spent according reports to foster the
Of the railroads in legislative enactments inns hao
oao d rightfu1y So to embitter the people against
the railroads.
The railroads are asking the legislature
through the columns of the newspapers through puoho
mass meetings held all the important towns OF the
state by public speeches and other open-anu-aooVe
,d methods for certain remedial legislation They
have shown that in Arkansas the two cent passenger
,nt con fiscatory because the country is sparse
" settled and the light traffic will not yield profit IN
This denartment but actually entails loss upon the
roads In the densey populated sections of the country
whore travel is three and five times as heVy DIS II
&c in Arkansas the two rate is not oppressive ac
ordne to the contention of the railroads. ana their
.beorv seems plausible IT, matter of fact the rail
goods are losing money the two cent rate, the people
should not object to rate will be compensatory
and the railroads be commended Tor bringing the
matter to the attention of the legislature IN the open
and frank manner which they now adopt
For wears the voice of the political demagogue has
been heard the land in condemnation OF ''e ram o
- Arkansas The candidate for office has found the
public ear wide open to his appeals denouncng the ran
oa &c onpressors of the people The people have been
willing and eager listeners to these imprisoned appears
to their prejudice and have usually rewarded the dem
gogue with high positions in public oice Inc result
has been SO adverse legislation TO the interests
of the railroads there has been little railroad con
sructon in the during the past decade ana there
will be none during the next decade II TINS warfare On
the roads is continue. 1t takes money ana pies Oh
it to build and equip railroads and to operate them Cap
italsts who furnish this are slow to do so where
there is an adverse sentiment the roads, manifested
at every biennial session of the state legislature that
makes such investments uncertain and unprofitable
In the early days of this the people gave large
bonuses roads inducement TO 'hem 10 CON
truct lines The state ceded large bodies of public
lands 70 the railroads and the people along the proposed
routes donated lands for right of way terminals ana
anot sites and were glad to The result has been
the construction of trunk lines through the state hat
We done develop the states resources than all
other agencies combined. Perhaps in their eagerness
to have railroads built the people went to an extreme IN
the matter of donations bonuses,as they certainly
have gone to an the past Is years in legislation
adverse to the railroads. ALL THINKING AND FAIR
MINDED MEN ADMIT THAT THIS IS TRUE. The pen
dulum has swung both extremes and now it is time
to take middle and conservative ground equitable to
both the railroads and the people
Arkansas needs hundreds of miles of new lines.
There are sections of undeveoped and showing
little progress development because of the lack
of transportation facilities. The railroads are the fore
runners of progress prosperity everywhere About
onehird of the taxes county is paid by the
railroads school districts that penetrated by the
railroads are permitted have long terms of school
with comparatively small levy of taxes Those con-
venent the railroads make long trips in short time
at a nominal cost that would have required weeks OF
time with primitive methods of transportation. The
railroads operating lines county have been the
greatest blessing way of public improvements that
the county has ever known Suspend the operation of
these lines let their roadbeds the native for
est and what would become of our schools our towns
and cities and our progress in all material lines?
1t is right that legislature should protect the peo
pie against oppression by the railroads that discrmina
ton should forbidden, that extortion should be pre-
vented and that every the safety and comfort
should be provided but not right that the railroads
should be the victims maevolence spite and hate
manifested through legislative enactments.
The legislative attitude towards the railroads should
be fair and just with rigid statutes compelling the rail
roads to be fair and just to the people