The Washington herald., 1919-03-11
RAILWAYS CHIEF
TRADE CONCERN
Business Men Interested In
Future of Transporta-
ton, Says Holland.

Chicago Commercial Club invited
Howard Elliott, president OF the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company,
TO address the members of the CLUB
IN the certainty that Mr.. Elliott wsuld
make suggestions which, IL adopted
Will serve, in great measure, TO
solve this important problem.
Mr.. Elliott Is. for several reasons,
qualified to address so important
body as the Chicago Commercial Club.
He was, for long time, a member OF
the St Louis Commercial Club, and
afterwards Of the Boston Commercial
Club. and has good understanding Of
the principle upon which these asso-
Citations are founded. Before he left
New York for Chicago, Mr.. Elliott
purposed saying to the Commercial
Club in Chicago that 1t was as long
ago as 1880 when he made his first
visit TO Chicago. He began his active
railroad life in Iowa in the employ
of the Burlington system and he lived
as a railroad operator west OF the
Mississippi River until 1913 For ten
years he was president OF the North
ern Pacific Railroad Company. In
1915 he resigned that office so that
he might accept the presidency OF the
New Haven Railroad corporation. The
directors OF that company, especially
Mr.. Morgan and Mr.. Vail, were anx-
ious to secure Mr. Elliott's services
so that the tangled railroad situation
in New England could be unrayelled
1t was a desperate task and the re-
sponsibility and intense concentration
Of mind altogether with the attitude
OF the Department of Justice toward
the New Haven company entailed so
much work and anxiety that at last
Mr.. Elliott was cautioned that II he
continued his work his health might
be seriously impaired. He entered the
service Of the government without re-
muneration as a member OF the Rail-
road War Board. and when the gov
ernment took over the control and
operation Of the railroads Mr.. Elliott
was again named as president OF the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
How great the changes in the rail-
road development of the United States
have been since Mr.. Elliott first went
West as a railroad employe may be
inferred from some Of the reminis-
cences which he thought It might be
worth while to call TO the attention
or the Chicago Commercial Club
When he first went beyond the Mis-
sissippi from Chicago he departed
from the old Illinois Central Station
on the lake front and the trip through
Iowa and Illinois was very slow. The
marvellous improvement which has
been made in railroad construction
and operation in the West and the
consequent industrial and agricultural
development OF the country have all
been achieved through the individual
initiative Of men Of great courage and
= q
opinion, and the business which they
brought to and took out of Chicago.
have made Chicago one Of the great
est cities in the world. Between Chi
cago and the Pacific Coast the coun-
try has been highly developed. Three
railroads north Of the Union Pacific
line, the Northern Pacific. the Great
Northern and the St Paul roads, are
now completed to the Pacific Coast
The important work of grade separa-
tion in Chicago is nearly completed
and there have been remarkable i'm
provements IN freight and passenger
terminals all over the country The
increase in population has rapidly
followed railroad development The
value Of land has been greatly in
creased. although not excessively.
Bank deposits and clearings, Mr.. FL
a story of business prosperity, where
ss manufacturing, mining and agri-
culture are all highly developed. All
these things have been accomplished
by individual initiative and by this
courage Of capital to make investment
and. in his view. the history of the
past fifty years in the railroad de-
velopment OF the United States fur
nishes a sufficient answer to those
who now believe that new. untried
and. so far as experience shows. un-
successful methods should be adopted
Of carrying on some OF the vast rail-
road enterprises on which the welfare
Of the people so largely depends.
Must Be Changes.
Nevertheless in Mr.. EIliott's view
there must be changes in methods
so far as those pertain TO railroad
management. but this is equally truo
of business OF all kinds, even Of
government. Mr.. Elliott decided be-
fore he departed from New York for
CTicagO to say to the members of
the Commercial Club that his thirty
nine years experience in the railroad
business have forced him to the con-
viction that government ownership,
mana cement and operation of the
American railroads are not for the
best interest of the nation. Instead,
private ownership. with wide. ener-
GetiC- honest management and opera
ton under reasonable and productive
regulation will produce the best re-
suits for the country. This regula-
tion should be so established and. d.
rected as to preserve and encourage
the initiative OF the American citi-
zen, and also should be prompt and
responsive 10 change OF conditions
1t ought also to provide checks that
will prevent any unfair practice by
owners and managers, and further
more II should make impossible re-
pressiye, unreasonable and conflict
ing action by regulatory bodies. such
as the States have sometimes estab-
lished; SO that in case of disagree
ment between the State and the ma
ton the national authority would pre-
vail Mr.. Elliott Is strongly persuaded
that II we do embark upon the untried
sea Of government ownership and
operation there will be involved a risk
OF shipwreck. not only to the railroad
systems Of the United States, but to
some of the fundamental theories of
American life and effort, which nave
made up to this time the United
States a great. almost dominating.
world nation.
Mr.. Elliott purposed telling the Com
mercial Club that IL Is his belief that
owning and running a railroad is busi-
ness. just as much as owning ana
steel plant. The country must have