Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-07
BUSINESS FRIENDLY
TOWARD RAILROADS
Canvass of U. S. Shows Peo-
pie No Longer Applaud At
tackS Upon Carriers.

The people Of the United states have
become partnership conscious" with
the railroads. The business men Of the
country have come to regard the steam
carriers as they regard other business
men, entitled to carry on their opera
tons without being hampered by AMI
mostly and unfair competition. This
has been made plain by conprehen-
Sive canvass made by 2.500 business
leaders in AT of the 433 congressional
districts Of the country.
This survey has made evident that
sentiment In the great ajofity Of COM
munities Is friendly to both the rail-
roads and the public utility companies
and Is opposed to the unregulated COM
petition of bus and truck lines. 1t Is
notable that among those most vigor-
ously demanding such regulation are OPP
realtors Of individual motor cars who use
the highways continually and who OBJ
tect to obstruction and destruction Of
roads by trucks and buses. Sentiment
also appears vigorously opposed TO gov
ernmental ownership Of either railroads
or utilities.
Overcome Handbags.
In achieving this change in sentiment,
the railroads have recovered from the
greatest handicap they have ever had
to overcome, the sentiment expressed in
the statement attributed to Commodore
Vanderbilt, The public be damned"
Instead OF refusing Information, the
carriers have laid 1t frankly on the
table. In nearly every case where this
has been done the sentiment is friendly.
This Is specially true In localities,
where the inhabitants know the railroad
men best. The employees of the roads
are advised of the facts and tell them
fairly with most encouraging result.
The feeling toward railroad men In
thoroughly exemplified by reports from
some districts which say frankly that
the people appreciate the permanence
OF the railroads and the fact that their
employees are of high type and are re-
qu1red to pass examinations qualifying
them for their positions, while often
employees OF the bus and truck lines are
selected in Q somewhat haphazard man
ner. The fact that bus and truck lines
are not necessarily of q permanent ma
ture Is held an influence necessitatinR
regulation.
There was q time, and the reports
snow that 1t has not entirely passed in
some sections, when people regarded
the railroads as having inexhaustible
FUNDS and credit It was believed that
the roads were making enormous profits
ana That stock juggling was gross and
common abuse. This feeling has been
overcome BY presentation Of the actual
facts and in these regions, where eenti-
ment Is adverse, the one line of action
suggested by friends of the railroads Is,
Tell them the facts"
Attacks Unpopular.
This is also the case IN connection
with the taxation Of the bus and truck
companies for highway maintenance
and its ratio to the taxes Of the steam
carriers.
1t Is significant that the reuorks
coming from political subdivisions. state
that attack upon the railroads In
speeches at public gatherings no longer
rouse the favorable enthusiasm thew
once did. The trend in this respect has
followed the fact of waving the bloody
shirt" after the Civil War and CRYING
Death to the Yankees in Mexico.
Each Of these ran its course, but the
public finally decided the war was over.
1t seems to have O similar conclusion
with regard to the railroads, according
TO the canvass, and taken the attitude
that the roads should not have addi-
tional burdens thrust upon them.
Strong warning Is given by the re-
ports, however, against the showing Of
too active an interest on the part Of
the railroads or their executives In poll
ties, either local or national, although
sentiment favorS close participation
in civic affairs.
(CopyriEht,. 193i)