The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-12-30


Dressed in s.iittering guneralities, |
bedtkd in false conception of prog
ress. tricked out in brilliant but empty
phrases Of selfish patriotism ground
ed on false logic, the campaign has
been carried on since the time, scores
Ct years ago, when our unthinking
citizens brought shame to true Ameri-
cans as they boastfully shouted Def re
n contemptuous Europe. "America can
lick the world"
Leaving aside the abv;ous fact that
there are many things we cannot pro-
duce in the United States and that our
necessary purchases CT these abroad
mercy of the public. The railroads are
controlled through governmental agen-
cics in the service they shall give. the
rates they shall charge, the wages they
shall pay and the conditions under
which their employees shall work:
while to management is given the
power Of directing operations within
these limitations. But hold for man.
agement Il greater task. that Of i'm
pressing under public op'nicn the nee j
Of constructive policies, and of out
lining what those policies should he.
Railway management Is the trustee of
vast properties valued at nearly $1a.-
900. 900. 900. and it would be derelic:
to duty if it did net exert it's utmost
efforts toward construction az against
destruction. oward progress as against
retrogression.
When we are i'll we call upon mon
trained in the diagnosis and treatment
of human ailments tc, effect a cure:
when questions of Jurisprudence arise
we consult the best legal minds at our
disposal to guide our actions: in rail-
way matters men trained in that sci
ence should be our advisers. In the
consideration CT every public question
there always is proposed Il plethora of
untried remedies, fake cures. Quack
panaceas; these have exercised. in the
past. too great an influence upon pub
| lie thought in railway matters.
The first principle Of railway prog
ress is the necessity Of placing at the
dispc sal of the railroads net income
| which will be sufficient to pay obliga-
lions and attract the savings of in
vestOrs in order that extensions. inn
provemnts and betterments may be
carried out. The only source of this
| revnue is in the rates charged for
ltranspc rtation service. "What the traf-
| fc can bear is the misnomer. The
movement oft rattle can be more seri-
ously hamperd by physical inability to
handle it than by rates which seem
high az compared with those of an
| other period. Rates, of course. she uld
| be distributed as to allow for an easy
flow of products from producer to
consumer. but the Importance of pro-
tecting the railroads against rates
which will impair service is too easily
lost sight of in our desire to protec,
other industry from rates which might
upset the scale of price adjustments.
i Another important element in assur
ing railway progress is the need fo
curtailing oppressive regulations which
! increase the cost of producing trans
portation without increasing the ca
pacity for producing transportation. II
: one CT the states in which the lllinoi
: Central operates bills wer Introduce
, and passed for passage in the recen
session of the legislature which. II the
!, had been passed and approved. woul
: have increased the expenditures of tn
n railroads IF that state more than 500
: 600. 900 annually without in any wa
: increasing their efficiency. Practical
Y the same situation has existed in tn
g regular sessions of every state lesis
c lature of the forty-eight states fl
e years past. Fortunately for the raj
+ roads and for the public. which mus
J. underwrite the railroads bills, II
measures to which l have already +,
e ferred failed, but that has not bee
= the history of such legislation. tt
Is often the ill-advised burden has bee
* placed. The cumulative effect of tn
le Observation-Disclosures has ben to place tt
e railroads under great handicaps al
rs to increase unnecessarily the cost
l. transportation.
,e The hope Of the railroads lies in Il
at establ ishment and maintenance CT
wholesome public sentiment iowa
D. them. The public should bear in mil
l. that whatever hurts the railroads hur
Id the public. Anything that affects ia
re way service and rates detrimentally
ed opposed to the public welfare. for an
IL thing that increases the cost OF tran
be portation without a comparable bette
at ment Of service has bearing up
b. rates. The welfare Of the railroa
and the public welfare are so int
I woven that 1t IL impossible to separs
b. them. That the public has not be
g inclined to accept this viewpoint is I
b. fortunate: that the public is now M.
at favorably minded toward the railro;
NJ augers well.
IL On the Illinois Central System
are exerting our best efforts to
I'D quaint our patrons with railway pr
In lens and the best methods of til
ut, solution. and are asking their constr
cir tive criticism and suggestions. We
is being rewarded by the cooperation
in the public served by our line in a
MS gree hitherto unknown.
be- We have passed through trying til
mt. and our lesson in railway econcn
has has been a hard one. IL We have p,
the tied by 1t. 1t IL well. believe We h;