Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1924-05-30
! Comment and Criticism .


Railroad executives like to pose as
being interested only in transporta-
ton, but every now and then they
- .+aLinn r,aaro than q.
passing interest in propaganda.
just the other day Glenn Griswold,
writing from Chicago in the Phladel-
phia Public Ledger, let the cat out of
the bag when he said:
90 the general feeling is
that little can happen to the roads
this year. Congress has too short a
time for action to accomplish any
thing of consequence, and even if it
did the legislation would not go into
effect until late in the year. Never
the less, the railroad executives are
keeping going a backfre of publicity
to acquaint the public with the true
facts in an endeavor to mold opinion
in the right direction, to prevent any
radical action against the transport
tation systems in the next session of
Congress-"
That the railroads are busy fan
ming the "backfire of publicity" of
which the Ledger speaks is apparent
on every hand. First it was the Mel
Ion tax plan that engaged the at
tention of the railroad propagandists.
Now they are attacking the Howell
Barley railroad labor bill and en-
deavoring "to mold opinion in the
right direction to quote the Ledger.
These. propaganda activities are
not inclined to strengthen public re-
gard for the railroads. The people
have suspicion that the first business
of the carriers is to furnish efficient
transportation and that if they will
stick to their business and leave
propaganda alone, they will be better
off, which seems to be a reasonable
way of looking at the matter.
Adoption of ethical codes by va
fious trade associations seem to be
quite the style.
Latest to adopt a code is the Amer
lean Drug Manufacturers Associa-
ton, which has condemned piracy"
in the manufacture of drugs. Imi-
tation of the products of competitors
and false statements by employers are
also barred. The code asserts that
the essence of ethics is honesty"
and takes as its guiding principle,
Whatsoever We would that men
should do unto you, do We even so
unto them"
Though the cynical may sheer at
the idea of mixing business and eth
les, action such as taken by the drug
manufacturers marks a step in ad-
vance. In the first place, adoption
of code of ethics indicates that in
dustry is awakening to the fact that
1t owes duty to the public and to
its employees. In the second place it
Is definite beginning at self-govern-
ment by industry. 1t is an attempt,
perhaps futile in many instances but
successful in others, to remedy in
dustrial abuses by the action of in
dustry itself. Industry is tackling the
job of clearing up its own evils and
is thereby laying the foundation for
a better order of society.
That it is entirely possible to
greatly reduce mine accidents is dem
onstrated beyond a doubt by what
Great Britain has done in this diree-
ton.
Writing in the Philadelphia Public
Ledger, Herbert N. CaSson says that
60 years ago there were 9 per 1000
miners killed every year but stringent
measures were taken and today the
mines are no more dangerous than
the mills and factories and are five
times as safe as the streets of London.
British mines, says Mr.. Casson, are