The Washington herald., 1915-01-25
New Senator'S Views on Railroads.

81 y
one of the Senators from Ohio, has never been
known to fame as an eloquent man. A level
headed Senator-elect nevertheless, if his speech
at the annual dinner of the Railway Business As
sociation in New York on December TO- last, may
Ibe accepted a good specimen OF his abilities
as orator, we venture the prophecy that the
already high standard of speech in the Upper
House of Congress will be raised after the Ohio
Senator's arrival there. The Senator's remarks
on the occasion referred to have just been pub
| lishcd in full and have had the pleasure of
reading them. They upon the rather general
subject of "Thc Railways and Prosperity and
we must say that the Senator's speech is one
OF the most striking and forccful that has come
under our observation
After describing the enthusiasm for the con-
structon of new railways as the all-mportant
means OF developing the country, which was so
common in the Senator's boyhood, he referred
to the lack Of appreciation in recent years of the
service performed by the railways; and he then
laid down the following thesis as the one which
he proposed to defend:
But popular sentiment eventually gets right,
and | can say tonight that the intelligent public
thought of this land of ours is demanding just
treatment of the American railroads.
Amid all the clamor and appeal, two thoughts
are indisputably established-the efficiency OF
American railways is absolutely essential to AmcrI-
cenl agriculture, mining and manufacturing in
duStrieS, which the component parts of our
boasted commerce, and the good fortunes OF the
American railways and the American people are
lindiSSoluby linked together. The present distress
OF industrial and commercial interests, happily
showing signs of relief, has its reflex in the
distress OF our railroads. if you prefer 1t dlf-
fercntlv expressed the distress of our American
railroads is very evident in the halted condition OF
business throughout the land. This is not to say
that the ebb-tidc OF American good fortune is
wholly due to the distressed conditions of rail-
roads, but the fortunes of the transportation lines
and our people are so indissolubly linked together
that the cannot be InJUrlOuSly affected without
binding its reflex in the other
The Senator spoke OF the marvellous transfor-
nation that had occurred in Florida, due to railway
building in the State Less than twenty-five years
ago that land of sunshine still, for the most
part land OF hammocks and swamps wild and
primitive as when the wandering Indians knew
them Birds OF the air, fowls of the and
beasts of the forest" he said, "reveled in such
iairvland that man had reason to envy them, but
civilization left endless stretches almost untouched,
except where here and there some with
love OF wilderness, in a genial cline, pitched a
rude habitation Down the lagoonS OF the East
coast were gardens needing only human effort to
make them blossom and bear in bounteous willing
ness. and there were acres eager to scatter the
redoencc OF fruitful groves with stretches OF
paradise for the traveller seeking recreation"
Plant who with their railways, turned the worth
less sand of Florida into land worth in many sec
tions thousands of dollars an acre. 1t is u
straton OF what has happened throughout the en-
tire country. The railroads did everything for
the building up OF the country; and then-partly
TO be sure, because OF excessive profits in promo
ton, and some instances of poor financing and
profigacy in managcnent-popular sentiment
toward the railways reversed and the trans
portaton companies found every mans hand
against them Despite all this, what once
thought to be fictitious railway values have be-
come very real in the processes OF growth that
have taken place through the years.
Zone thing is certain" said Senator Harding,
that Though people cry out against the great
predatory captains who dashed by in their special
cars the numbering trains OF honest investment have
travcrscd the same rails and the honest endeavor
and best thought and best energies of American
lie have reared this American railway giant and
furnished us the best and cheapest rail transpor-
taton in the world There must be-therc is-a
righteous mean between plundering on the one
hand and popular assault the other, and the !
problem OF the day is find that righteous mean,
and give to our railroads our boastcd square
deal"
1t Ina, become plain enough now, Senator
Harding declared, that the OF railroad batting
on the part OF press and politicians who have
been les, inspired by public good than by personal
profits and political gain is passing, and that the
DRIFT OF the public mind is toward a sober second |
thought. 1t is the opinion OF nincty-nnc OF every
ono hundred thinking people that the railways OF
the country arc entitled such increase Of rates
a> not only will enable them to exist and meet
their obligations in dull times, but further will
enable them to utilize these dull times (whcn ma
terials Tor railway construction and improvement
can be obtained at low cost) the periods when
large and productive railway betterments should
be carried out.
Mr.. Underwood a District Ally.
The wisdom OF the people of Alabama in send |