The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-09-11
THE RAILROADS HAVE LEARNED

THE RAILROADS HAVE LEARNED
The railroads have now started in
On campaign to take the public COM
pletely into. their confidence and to
try 10 build up in the minds of the
public the confidence and good will
which for so long they apparently
rated as of little worth and which
for so long they did not make the
effort TO establish and cultivate. In
the past the railroads dealt with ieg-
islatures and with politicians.
Like many of the professional pol
iticians still extant the railroads
thought that they. could handle any
situation without the people; that the
less publicity given to plans and pol
icies the better; and that the general
puDlc could take things OF leave them
as they chose, without affecting the
prosperity of the railroads.
This at least is a fair statement of
the attitude of old-fashioned polite
ians and if it is not a fair statement
of the attitude of railroad managers
ten, fifteen and twenty years ago the
fault Les with the railroads for ma
king the public think such was their
unfriendly and contemptuous attitude.
The railroads nova little ahead of
the politicians to be sure-have adj
mitted their mistake. and their last
statement is a strong contrast to the
public be- damned pronouncement of
earlier times This last statement is,
Our only interest in this whole ques
ton is the securing of the comfort and |
of the public.
How is the railroad management go
ing to bring to the support of its adj
the endorsement of the |
people of the United States? By a
planned, sincere, and skilful-
ly carried out campaign of education
umns of the daily papers in the Uni
ted States. The railroads must give
the people all the facts; and the only
way in this United States today to
give the whole public all the facts is
through the columns of the daily
newspapers. There is absolutely no
other way to argue their case before
he people and to secure a judgment
rom the people. The railroads have
.ried circularizing. Such a method is
is dead in railroad management as it
IS in business. The railroads have
,ried lobbying. Nothing more of the
kind will ever again be tolerated by
he people of this country on the
'ormer great and effective scale.
Take the case of the American Tele-
,hone and Telegraph company,
about fifteen years ago this company
vas in bad odour all over the coun-
ry, and in the Middle West the senti-
nent against it was extremely hostile
TODD and often maligncd. At that
inc the company did not deal directly
nth the people. Suddenly they made
change. By a wonderful series of
lsplay advertisements in all magaz-
les and newspapers, tie American
telegraph and Telephone company
and fully informed the pub
C about all the details of its bust
ess, it's aims, it's policies, and its
ractices. There is no one today
no reads at all who is not perfectly
Imiliar with and immensely attracted
= the newspaper display advertising
the American Telephone and Tele-
'aph company And the revolution
sentiment is little short of marvel
is. The people today believe in and
Re the company. They know the
mpany. They are on the inside, and
hat they know has convinced them
the worth of the company.
Now the railroads will follow suit,
seems, and try their case before the
ople-the ultimate Judges, the