Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-04-19
Concluded from April 12th.)
The Railroads and Politics.


of influencing politics. 1t is strange,
indeed, that by popular will the rail-
roads are denied access to the forum
which makes their laws, determines
their tribunals, fixes the basis for
their taxes, and even designates by
enactment many operating and phys
the domain of management. Method
for presenting the case of the trans
portation companies in the seats of
legislation may in various ways and
at various times have been defective,
but not more so than the proposals
and methods which the transport
alton companies believed it to be
their right and duty to combat.
The railroads can fairly maintain
the general principle that they have
the right to go openly and plainly
into the foreground against enact
ments or proposals for enactment
inimicial to the transportation COM
panies, seeing that they represent
100000 employees in the railroad
service; not far from $15O,OOO,OOO
annual railroad taxes; are the pur-
chases of one-third of the steel and
iron products of the country and one
quarter of it's timber products and
represent billions of dollars of money
invested chiefly from the savings of
the people at large. including the
millions of people paying premiums
to insurance companies and millions
more who are depositors in savings
banks. 1t cannot be healthy condi-
ton of the public mind which would
deny to transportation thus welded
with the public interest such political
influence and upon the same plane as
is freely and promptly accorded to
other activities in that great business
organization called public.
AS readily can we concede that
those influences should not be secret
or sinister, but should be straightfor-
ward and fearless; and this should
also be demanded of every other kind
of interest affected by legislative pro-
posals. For all of these and sundry
other complaints an easy-going rem
edy is urged, which would take from
the states, counties, cities and towns
$4,000, 900 to $15O,0OO,0OO of
taxes now turned into their treasur-
les by the railroads; would many
times multiply complaints; would by
as many times add to the difficulties
of obtaining redress; would create an
invincible standing political army;
would substitute red-tape for initia-
tive, and flexible fulfillment of func-
tions would give way to rigid rules
Reason of Business Depression.
Following upon all this misrepre'
sentaton and play upon prejudice has
distrust with consequent Withdrawal
of confidence in the greatest industry
in this country. This lack OF conf
dence is in turn followed by genera
business timidity, for all business il
based upon credit, and credit has it
foundation in confidence. 1t is il
consequence OF these conditions tina
we are going through period Of un
employment and distress the like o
which this nation has never known
And why this unemployment?
is the habit OF the time to speak o
unemployment as If 1t related only t
those who work for a specific hourl
or daily, weekly or monthly wage.
is thought of chiefly as relating t
those engaged in minor places or tn
humber duties of life. The facts ru
quiet to the contrary.
1t is the employer who is first on
of employment. AS a natural sc
quence, he is followed by the employ
who next finds himself out of work
Unemployment begins only when tn
employer himself begins to be unem
ployed. When the employer is pros
porous and his energies are profitabl
employed, employees have abundan
employment, and they also prosper
But why is this period of unemploy
ment? 1t is because all business
bewildered and uncertain. 1t doe
not know whether 1t may proceed i
safety. 1t does not know what snare
its path may be laid with. This con
dition began with transportation an
now extends to all business.
A long period OF Misrepresentation
misunderstanding and pettyfoggin
has so misled the public mind tha
throughout this country every pros
porous business, indeed every organ
ization prosperous or not which Is bi
enough to attBact the public platforr
performer, finds that ii exists in a
atmosphere Of attack. The creates
trouble with this country today
that every business which has bee
developed by the genius Of the Amel
isan people has become the object {