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Show JUST A SQUARE DEAL. This Is All the Bnilroads of Country Ask. CHICAGO, April S "President Samuel Spencer of tho Southern railway, In his speech beforo th5 Traffic club of Pittsburg, Pitts-burg, has expressed the views of railroad men throughout tho country," said S. M. Fclton, president of tho Alton railroad, today. "The railroads arc not opposed to tho President In his efforts to put an end to any abuses that may exist, and Mr. Spencer's Spen-cer's speech should do a great deal to remove re-move such a popular misapprehension. Thero Is no one so Interested In seeing sccrot rebates dono away with as aro the railroads. If tho evil wero widospread it would certainly Justify drastic measures. meas-ures. But, whatever may have been tho state of affairs in the (arly history of transportation. It Is my sincere belief, based upon personal experience, that tho great majority of the railroads of tho country today aro giving tho peoplo a 'squaro deal.' "This fact Is borno out by tho testimony testi-mony of tho chairman of the Interstate Commerce commission, who In 1903 declared de-clared beforo a commlttoo of the Senate that rcbatss had practically ceased to exist. ex-ist. It Is to the interest of the railroads that they shall never bo revived, and to this end let am offenders be punished. It Is a significant fact In this connection, howover, that In the two jears since tho Enssngo of the Elklns law no attempt has eon made to enforce It. "I should llko to say. In conclusion, that when tho people realize that tho present movement for Federal control of railroads Is leading Inevitably to tho adoption of tho distance tariff, under which tho farmers farm-ers of the Atlantic seaboard, with their less productlvo lands, will bo given an advantage over tho farmers of tho West, this agitation will cease forever." President Krllng of the Chicago, Milwaukee Mil-waukee & St Paul and President B. F. Wlnchell of the Rock Island railroad expressed ex-pressed tho most hearty indorsement of Mr. Spencer's remarks. Second lcc-Prcsldent lcc-Prcsldent Hanrahan of tho Illinois Central Cen-tral expressed himself as entirely In sympathy sym-pathy with Mr. Spencer's views, adding: "All wo ask Is what President Roosevelt Roose-velt now promises a 'squaro deal.' " |