The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1919-08-15
RAILROAD FRANKNEGS
4 MESSAGE TO TRAFFIC MEN BY BRIcE CLAGETr As
SIsTANT TO THE DIRECT0R-GENER4I

8 +ha traffic men of the railroads
are the eyes and ears of their
companies, but it is becoming
i more and more necessary that
#the railroads have mouths as
q well. and the traffic men nat
zurally fall heir to this function.
Il Whatever may be the form Of
#contro of the railroads in the
#fpture, everyone seems to admit
#,hat there will be closer public
#supervision than ever before,
closer public supervision
means inevitably that the public
! must be kept better informed
than ever before of the details Of
#railroad operations and finances.
zTherefore the railroads. which
zhave been under close public
#scrutiny for years past, must eX-
pect that this scrutiny will be
zintensifed in the years to come.
i Recognizing, as they must,
1.-THE public character of their ser
zvice. it is the highest form of in.
4telligence for the railroads to
Recognize this situation frankly
land meet the public more than
Ehalf way, not hiding from the
public view but inviting pitiless
publicity and welcoming the in
Tterest of the public in the rail
broad business.
PROFESSIONALLY many of the
zdificulties of the railroads in the
EpaSt, both rate and wage mat
tiers, has resulted from misun-
|derstanding. both on the part of
1.-THE public and ON the part of la
J Dor. Believing, as all forward
Hooking Americans must, in the
high intelligence of the average
Icitizen Of our county, is it not the
wise policy to keep the facts
constantly before the public.
|realizing that, once the problems
|of the railroads are thoroughly
understood, right and fair
solution will be brought about?
The most generally supported
solutions for the railroad prob
|lems appear to involve an official
valuation of the properties, and
|pnce this is brought about, there
Should be a stopping of the
constant suspicion that existed
Pm the past that the railroads
were overcapitalized. The re-
moval of this suspicion should go
Par toward making easier the
Solving Of wage and rate ques-
tlons in the future, but this will
hot settle the entire difficulty;
there must be a day-by-day en-
pghtenment of the public, and it
rs IN this work that the railroad
fraf1ic men, it seems to me, will
play an important part.
The experiences of the United
States Railroad Administration,
occupying as it has a position
where it has been constantly in
Fhe public eye, has proven how
deeply the public have become
interested in their railroads.
Elhls interest has existed in the
past, but never has it been SO
intense as at the present time,
Hhd 1t seems certain that this
interest will continue for many
years to come.
Inc experiences of the Rail.
road Administration, too, have
|Ppfought out more clearly what
pas been realized by operating
Rhd traffic men in the past. that
Phe public does not always UNI
Frerstand the many difficulties in
VOWED in the current operation
~ the railroads. ! fear there
pas been too much of a DISPOSE
Fion to take it for granted that
PactS which were self-evident to
railroad men were equally self
evident to the public. This is a
tendency which, it seems to me,
hust be corrected in the future
railroad operations are to
nave the necessary public sup
port and if fair return on the
money invested in railroad