Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1907 — ROOSEVELT ON THE RAILROADS. [ARTICLE]

ROOSEVELT ON THE RAILROADS.

President Roosevelt’s Indianapolis speech bears indubitable evidence that it was prepared to make peace with the railroads. No other contraction can be put on it. He declares that he will take no backward step, but insists that in the future he will step softly. He says that there are only a very few wicked railroads, anyhow, and that the great majority of them are as innocent and and blameless as lambs. Mr. Roosevelt continues to demand for the federal government “full power of supervision and control over the railways doing an interstate business,” and “power to extricate supervision over the future issuance of stocks and bonds.” and also “publicity of everything which would-be investors and the public at large have a right to know,” but he proposes to be exceedingly tender in the use of these powets. „ He thinks that there has been “much wild talk” about over-captalization and that up to date all railroad stocks and bonds are actually worth their face, “notwithstanding the ‘water’ that has been injected in particular places. It is Mr. Roosevelt’s opinion (at present) that the interstate commerce commission should have power to employ experts to fix the physical valuation of any railroad when it is deemed worth while, but he does believe (as at present advised) that such valuation can be considered a “sufficient measurement of a rate.”

First and last and all through and finally Mr. Roosevelt assures the railroads that he is the best friend they ever had or perhaps ever will have, and that if they will hitch their wagons to his star they will never have cause to regret it. He also assures investors that there “need be no fear on their part that this movement for national supervision and control over railways will be for their detriment.” By talking up one side of the railroad question and down the other, and then backward and forward and around the circle, Mr. Roosevelt leaves an unpleasant impression of insincerity. It is not what the public would like to expect from him, but it is precisely what the public has come to expect, with abundant reason.