The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1921-09-09
THE OWOSSO TIMES
GEORGE M. DEWEY, EDITOR.
OWOSSO. MICH. SEPT. 8, 1921
THE GOODNESS OF ITS CAUSE.

Washington, Sept. Recommending
on a question raised by the New York
Times, the Republican Publicity Asso.
citation, through it's President, Hon
Jonathan Bourne, Jr., issues the fol-
lowing:
elias the time arrived when it
safe for railway to rely upon the
goodness of its cause in the forum o.
public opinion?' asks the New York
Times, which is Democratic in it's
politics, but not so democratic in it's
ideals. The answer to the question
is easy. The time has not merely
arrived-it has long been here. 1t
is and long has been-perhaps always
has been-safe for railway or any
/ other concern to rely upon the good
ness of it's cause in the forum of
public opinion.
: "The American people believe in a
square deal, and always have. Where
there is lack of full information,
the people may act unwisely, but that
is no fault of theirs. The rwisest man
who ever lived would make mistakes
if compelled to act without full
knowledge of facts. But give the
people Of the United States fair
ly good understanding of the issues
involved and the facts on both sides,
and they will reach conclusion as
sound and as fair as would be reach
ed by a commission composed of Sc
lected men, who, very likely, would
be influenced by prejudices which do
not actuate the averag ecitizen.
"Our assertion that the people can
be trusted to decide fairly a ques-
ton submitted to the forum of pub
JIG opinion. is pot a mere ipse dixit
nor an attempt to f1atter the average
citizen. There has been a demon
stration which justifies the confidence
we have expressed. A few years a
there was enacted in Missouri what
was known as the full crew law
an act supposed to be in the interest
of railway workmen and against the
interest of railway owners. 1t pro-
vided for the employment of not less
than a certain number Of men on a |
railway train, the number varying
with the length and character of
train. The railway owners asserted
that the number required by the law
was unnecessary. The spokesman of
the railway workers got the law
through, nevertheless, and it was sub
mitted to vote of the people under
the referendum.
"The railway managers were scar
ed. They thought the people would
look at the issue this way: The en-
actment of this law will give en-
ployment to more people, it will give
US better service, and the railways
will have to pay the bill. But the
people did not look at it that way.
lust what their line of reasoning was,
no one can tell, but the full crew
bill was overwhelmingly defeated by
popular vote.
Probably some voters opposed it
because they thought it unfair to the
'ailroads. Others opposed it because
hey figured that ultimately the in
creased cost of operating the roads
would be passed on to the shippers,
o which class they belonged. But
whatever tn cline Of reasoning, the
ill, generally agreed by well-inform-
ID men to be unwise, was defeated
~ the people. Which shows that
hen, some eight or ten years ago,
he voters of Missouri could be trust
,d-and the Census reports do not in
Iicate that Missouri is any more in
elligent than the average America
tate.
"All that is necessary for the rail-
Dads or any other class to do is to
.et their facts fairly before the peo-
lie, and there can be no doubt as to
he verdict of public opinion"