The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-10

ulaticn and not for ill-considered and dangerous regulation. We must regulate sp as to insure all necessary railroad fa- eilities both for the present and for the future
 As the public in the end must pay the Dill, they are primarily interested in the railroads securing the money needed for their maintenance and development at reasonable ratets and equally interested Ill seeing that it is wisely expended.
 That no unnecessary highways are built in the future and those that are selected for extension and development and best adapted to carry commerce with the least burden are governmental prob iems of the first importance, for 1t must be remembered that when you construct two highways where one can render the service required, the public in the enu will bear the burden of the cost of the additional highway without receiving a commensurate benefit in return, for rates no longer will be fixed competition, now that governmental regulation has become the fixed policy of our people.
 ''To regulate the freight and passenger rates of the railroads that the rates may be just to the invested capital and at the same time reasonable to the pub lie is secondary problem but of scarce ly less importance than the one l have mentioned first. Together they embrace the alpha and omega of the railroad prob leu of our day.
 Protect Property and Public
 Tn the solution of these problems we must protect the rights of private prop eTty invested in the railroads and at the same time assure to the public fair and reasonable treatment in the movement of commerce of our country.
 q have said the fixed policy of our peo- pie was regulation by the government of our railroad systems, and it is, for wheth- CT you agree with me or not, you may well accept my conclusion. Revolu- tions never move backward. If govern mental regulation is unable to solve the vexed problems that confront us, the people will accept government ownership Of railroads as the next step ahead. It is, therefore, matter of great impor- tance that we should earnestly endeavor to reach a fair and reasonabel solution of the rrnblem of regulation at as early a day as is possible.
 "The transportation problem is so close ly interwoyen into the business fabric of our people that governmental control in some way was inevitable from the be- ginning. In almost all countries the rail- road question is one of first importance and aas been met in foreign lands either by governmental regulation or owner ship, but in other countries the problem has not been as difficult of solution as Tn our own due primarily to two causes-our large population and vast natural re- sources located far inland, and at great distances from water transportation makes railroad carriage indispensable and industrial freedom could be guaran- teed only by just regulation
 Another difficulty that flinders the so- luton of the problem here and is not met abroad Is a political one. Our dual system of government greatly increases the difficulties and uncertainties that surround the problem before us. Our federal government and 4S state govern. ments constitute the 49 masters that the railroads must obey. It has been said, No man car. serve two masters. All of the important railroads run through two or more states and are subject to diff ferent laws. rules and regulations when ever a train crosses a state line.
 Difficult to Differentiate
 Tt is true that our lawmakers and our judges have endeavored to differentiate between interstate and intrastate busi- ness, but the effort to do so has led to much confusion and to much litigation In the passenger coach we find an inter- state riding beside an intrastate passen- ger and in the baggage car a package tha. will reach it's destination within the state in which 1t was shipped resting against parcel whose destination is across soc state line. Consider for a mo- ment tGtt the one package is subject tc the rule of one, and the other must obey the mandate of at least three masters.