The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-10-05


forests, with ample cover and food sup
plies to develop a great variety of wild
life. 1t is only because conservation
measures have not been properly enacted
and observed that there is not an album
dant supply of fish and game in Ala
bama.
PUBLIC AND Raj. REGULATION.
1t is an able argument on railroad
credits submitted by.Mr! G. H. Markham,
president of the Illinois Central System,
in his address before the American Bank
ers' Association last week in Chicago.
In the first place, Mr.. Markham frankly
admits the tact of public regulation o.
railroads. He pleads, however, that sucl
control should be sane and tolerant lilo
vindictive or oppressive. That plea thel =
part Of the American people to reject.
In the policies of many railroads there
is noticeable trend towards greater re-
gard for the public welfare than former
ly existed. Many rail- Dads are making
q consistent and regular appeal to pub
lie favor. They are advertising their
difficulties, their situations and their eff
forts to give good service. Some of this
not be altogether sincere or supported
by practical examples in their administra-
Ftions and their contacts with the public
in addition to their prescribed public
service. But there is unmistakable evil
dence that other roads, on the contrary,
are endeavorfng to show by their acts
and conduct that they realize public APP
prevail is their most valuable asset and
worthy of being won by substantial to-
kens of sincerity.
How important the popular attitude
railroads is, Mr.. Markham re-
veals in the following words: "There
has been something fundamentally wrong
in the attitude of the public toward the
railroads in the past, and it is not to be
cured by fighting fire with fire. Rail-
way regulation is here to stay. In many
of its phases it is a desirable thing. To
oppose it in its momentarily mistaken
phases is, 1t seems to me, largely waste
of time on the part of railway managers.
Such faults as railway regulation has are
the faults of public misunderstanding,
for which railway managers themselves
have been largely responsible in the past.
The root of the trouble will disappear.
What we need is intelligent preparation
forsthe future. The public must be en-
couraged to developsrailwayse credit, which
Is q phase of national thrift" :
Although there are points in the above
to which spokesman for the public may
we'll take exception, yet it is surprisA
ingly liberal view to come from a rail-
road source. When it is said that there
has been something fundamentally
wrong" in the attitude of the public to-
wards the railroads, it may be replied
that there has been something vastly
more fundamentally wrong in the atti-
tude of the railroads towards the public.
This was particularly so before the war,
and it is still very much in evidence
among some railroad executives. What
ever hostility there has been towards the
railroads was originally based on very
substantial foundation, and, sad to re-
late, much of that foundation is not yet
in ruins. The people still have to be on
their guard against the aggression Of
many railroads.
There is a distinction to be noted in
the attitudes of various roads in their
various public contacts. Some railroads
easily align themselves with programs of
grade-crossing removal, for example.
Other roads do all in their power to delay
and obstruct such programs. AS long
as some roads err in their practical pub
lie relations, no road can be absolutely in
possession of the public confidence for
the simple reason that people do not
easily distinguish one road from another,
unless there be some striking illustration
of one roads liberality or narrowness OF
policy. 1t is observable that some rail-
roads, Mr.. Markham's among them, have
very enlightened policy as regards CO.
ordination with the inland waterways
Other roads, either openly or 'covertly'
by many methods, direct and indirect
seek to destroy the value Of the water
ways, although it is demonstrate tnar
barge lines create more tonnage than they
carry. Some railway executives oppose
the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence barge line
project, while others more advanced
take the view that such a barge line
would be greatly to the beneflt OF the
RAILWAYS as we'll as to the regions served.
The people are not for naturalization
of the railroads. They are not even for
EXTRAORDINARY regulation. They prefer
the least regulation consistent with JUS
tice to the public. The degree of regu-
llation lies largely with the railroads
themselves. The less regulation their
policies demand, the less they will re-
ceive. Unfortunately, for time at least,
the scope of regulation must be extended
rather than reduced in order to. control
and prevent discriminatory practises that
profit the roads unjustly at the public
cost. When there develops among rail
executives more of the breadth of view
and enlightenment revealed by Mr.. Mark
ham in his address, and practically ap.-
piled, the regulation by the government:
will automatically lessen for lack OF
something to regulate. This consumrna-
tion lies far more with the railroads than
with the public.
UETTON Ann PRIVILEGE.