Show JUDSON HARMON AT A BANQUET Former Attorney General Gave Some Experiences of a Law Lawyer Lawyer Lawyer yer in Railroad Business LARGE PAYROLL NO MONEY OTHER EQUALLY EMBARRASS EMBARRASSING ING FEATURES Cincinnati O 0 May 9 Responding to toa toa toa a toast on Some Experiences of or a Lawyer Jn In n the Railroad Business Bugino at a banquet here tonight Judson Judon Harmon of or this Ihla city gave a frank statement of ot some saine of ot his views on the conduct of a railroad without breaking existing laws He said Mr Harmons Speech II I was surprised to find lind myself late In almost without notice In sole charge under court orders of miles of at rail railway railway railway way running through four states and the province of or Ontario After a year and a ahalt Half halt I am still alive and out of jail The monthly pay day was w close ahead when I took charge and I soon Boon learned that con consternation consternation reigned all over oer the lines I realized for the first time what It meant even to raise a doubt about the payment of wages and salaries on railroads My roads were not among the largest yet they had nearly With their families there were s several veral times Umes as many more Then there were dealers In hundreds of towns and hamlets who fur furnished furnished fished them supplies and tho the churches schools and societies they helped support To withhold or even delay payment would woul be crueL But almost to pay and no money These men had no cape experience experience with receivers The very name was ominous of taking in hl and not giving out One of ot the tho th pleasures of ot my life was to wire a message which reached clear down downto to the section men that all aU should have their pay right on the nail If I had to bor borrow borTOW borrow row TOW as I did Good Word for Since then I have been all over the roads and met these men met them In Inmany Inmany Inmany many ways which w test and reveal char character character acter aeter Including discussion of ot requests for tor tormore more moro pay and less leas work And I know that better more capable and nd earnest men never lived than those who In darkness and day d storm and sunshine lean times and nd fat tat labor to keep the track smooth the wheels turning and the cars full fullI I 1 was walt surprised at the large number of or ormen men and women all aU over the country who had Invested In the stocks and bonds of these railroads many of or them persons of small means to whom the failure of the company was a serious matter I have bad had letters from tram such holders from tram as far faraway faraway faraway away as an New England and the Pacific i Sorry I 1 was that I could not help them Ulem as I did the men menen When en I assumed command the subject of further railroad legislation was Just beginning to attract general attention This was true also of the observance of existing laws which merely fixed penal penalties penalties penalties ties for tor the violation of the common law which has applied to public carriers for I r had always maintained that railroads OUId be conducted without breaking these wholesome laws so at the very start I Isaid said Obeyed the Law The public character of a railroad makes the control of It a public as well wella IB a a private trust in every hand that holds it whether the hand be chosen by bya a court or otherwise This truth has been too long neglected and storm signals are flying Let Lot it be understood that there are no favors going open or secret but that it Is fare tare and fare alike all around And nd If the property pro pert and business com corn committed committed to me by the courts shall suffer from this cause either at the hands of ot public p officials or those of ot rival r al lines ines the reason will wili be plain to a wayfaring wa man and the lesson will be worth to the coun country try all aU It costs I r think many man v did not at first take me sf Commercial ideas have too long prevailed You are alt all free to deal or refuse to dell deal to buy as cheap and sell sellas sellas as ll dear as you vou can You may have wholesale and retail prices You can give discounts and make concessions A rail railroad railroad railroad road must serve everyone tnt asks and Charge barge all aU alike for tor the same service Failure to observe this difference rence was the chief cause of ot the trouble and the shippers must take their share of ot the blame for railway officers arc are like other men They give up nothing unless they are tempted or compelled This does not apply appl to officials who are Interested In Inthe Inthe inS S the products to be carried over their lines Unes I recommend that such Interests be for forbidden forbidden forbidden bidden by the recent law as well vell as that 1 f r the railroad companies themselves but It Is not done I think personal Is much stronger than official Interest and It is worldly as ns well as spiritual wisdom to keep men out of temptation Met by Loud Outcry I r was met by many outcries as I pro proceeded proceeded proceeded to enforce my policy by b discarding all aU old arrangements which I thought con conflicted conflicted with it and refusing to make new ones But there was wa the law The old question What Is the constitution be between between between tween friends and Its later form What la Is s the constitution when one knows some something something something thing ought to be done are sate safe enough to ask because ause the constitution provides no penalties for Its violation But laws always wind up with unpleasant clauses so much or so long or both When the people found I was really In earnest arnest and that all aU were treated fairly and alike they loyally loyall supported me There are always some human porkers parkers to whom all aU things taste better under ground in the dirt but there are not many of them among our people If It special favors are going they all ali want some of course but they the are always content with an even chance If It I lost business by the course I took there was no evidence of It Then It was my luck perhaps I might claim a slight share of or credit for tor it that the general awakening shortly came cameto cameto cameto to my aid ald Car Shortage Question I soon found more cars were Iere needed and I secured authority to get them I asked for bids from builders They said they had no space Space I said 1 I have hae plenty of space I want cars to run through it Then the railroad tenderfoot found they thY meant room on In the list of ot or orders orders ders dots At last I got four thousand new box boxcars cars I could have hae loaded every one right where they were built But no I i sent them all empty empt to home stations and I divided them as fairly as I could co ld among waiting shippers In two weeks they the were scattered all au over oer the and the cry cr was still for tor more I coaxed and threat threatened threatened threatened ened and did all I could to get them back but those that th t came were right off oft again as before A region which produces more shipped articles than it consumes if f course sends out more loaded cars than It receives So cars tend to accumulate on trunk lines and In the great commer commercial cia cial centers And WAnd when ears cars are scarce the temptation Is to load them wherever they the are arc found for no matter where In Instead Instead Instead stead of loading so as to start them home homeward homeward homeward ward So I have had set before my m eyes the omm unity of our country which the tIlt railroads have brought about Practically all railroad transportation Is now Interstate e so that all nil have the advantage of or the widest market both to sell and to buy And the Interests of the carriers as aswell asell aswelt welt well ell as their duty Is to enable shippers by b good service at reasonable rates to reach as far as it Is possible This enormous and growing commerce depends mainly upon railroad transportation tion lion and the proper conduct and regula regulation regulation regulation tion of that presents the most Important and ana at the same time the most delicate economic problem of our times A Word Wor to the Shippers Sow SNow a word w rd about the shippers part partIn partIn partIn In this distressing matter of car short I a 1 age Although the ownership and control of ot railroads are private their business so 50 concerns the public that it may ma be reg regulated regulated regulated by law with due regard to the in interest Interest interest terest of the owners and service on fair fairand fairand fairand and equal terms Is a right common to all people Then are you not doing a public wrong when you take as long as you please to load and unload cars carsT You do not get the tho right to use cars for storage by paying demurrage charges Both you and the railroads would be guilty under the law if It you should make such Euch a bargain Those charges are not rentals but merely pen penalties penalties to make you prompt They are not nota I a tithe of ot what the cars would earn in I freight and a still less part of the loss you ou are inflicting on your neighbors by I what Is simply misuse of property devoted i to a public service The railroads have just fixed the charges against each other for failure tu to return carp carl so high that greater prompt promptness promptness promptness ness Is assured The same must be done with like charges against shippers No Nobody Nobody Nobody body wants you to pay them but just to release the cars That is the only ob object object object not revenue Reciprocal Demurrage This is not understood by b the advocates advocates cates of or what la is miscalled reciprocal de do demurrage demurrage with respect to car supply The shipper has a car In his possession which he will wUl not load or unload promptly s a oas oss to set It free for other service A per diem charge Is made against him hima a pen penalty penalty penalty alty for not doing what he ought to and can do So they say the railroad should be made to pay the like amount when It does promptly furnish a car to the shipper when requested If It the railroad had a car which it could furnish and would not the cases would be alike and a charge might be called reciprocal But the very life of ofa ofa ofa a railroad Is in getting empty cars loaded It would be suicide to withhold them from shippers We do not fine people for tor not doing what they wish to do but cannot Call a Spade a Spade If the penalty Is to be for not having constantly on hand cars enough to meet all nU requests then say so o but do not call It reciprocal demurrage Reciprocity would be this If you make the railroad pay the shipper when it Ith has s no car for his load then a reciprocal charge would be beto beto beto to make the shipper pay the railroad when he has no load for Its car as Is often otten the case when crops fall fail or trade is dull and surely nobody would pro propose propose pose that thai The people In this country are real law lawmakers lawmakers lawmakers makers All they need is to understand the facts and their laws will be just On such matters as I 1 have mentioned bodies like this are leaders of public thought and action The farmers and workmen and small dealers are too numerous numerous to meet consult as you ou do but they are prompt to approve what they see to be proper and right You know what Is fair lair and wise You know your interest is the same as that of all aU citizens though the extent of or it may be Individually greater So the reform Of or abuses In railroad management and con conduct conduct conduct duct appeals to your best thought while you are better qualified than most men mento mento mento to see that the knife cuts to cure and not notto notto notto to injure or to destroy |