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Show u ROOSEVELT AFTER THE RAILROADS. RAIL-ROADS. Not only aro tho heads of tho great railroad systoms, and tho managers of tho great prlvato car lino syndicates, slightly worried over tho actions of President Roosovelt, but tho fear that tho cxecutivo Is going to Inlluonco congress con-gress to pass somo legislation enlarging enlarg-ing tho powers of tho inter-stato com-morco com-morco commission in tho mattor of fixing fix-ing rates extends to local trafllc managers. man-agers. Ono well known trafllc man of this city expressed himself to Truth yesterdny. It appears that President Itoosovclt and Secretary Taft aro of tho opinion thnt a revision of railroad rates would bo a good thing for tho country. Thoy believe that certain Interests aro being discriminated against; that cortaln sections of tho country aro getting tho worst of it, and it Is their idea, to givo tho Inter-stato commerco commission tho right to mako rates of a uniform character so as to equalize matters. Tho lower houso of congress, mado up of representatives of tho pcoplo, seem to bo in favor of tho adoption of tho president's vlows, but tho sonato, composed com-posed of a sot of men who do not protend pro-tend to represent tho people, has been standing In tho way. Senator Elkins, of West Virginia, standing as tho sponsor for tho railroads, has had tho mattor In chargo and has boon taking a lot' of testimony for somo tlmo past and tho samo is being proparcd In printed form for tho intor-stato commerco com-merco committee of tho sonato, which t "i u ako a report at tho noxt session. lough tho most of tho witnesses summoned before tho commltt'eo wero men who wero either friendly toward or In fear of tho railroads, andtestl- llctl accordingly, onough ovldonco was II B brought out on tho other sldo to war- H rant a strong belief In tho righteous- IRj ucss of Itoosovclt's position. This, too, ' n In tho faco of tho fact' that "sovoral m former nowspaper men, now publicity ttm agents, wero In Washington during tho hearing and supplied tho press pj with matter calculated to show tho II Af danger of any legislation such as is IIP desired by tho president." Tho mat- II $$ ler quoted is almost verbatim from u II Wj well known railroad Journnl, which II Aj lias never been known to say a word UlB against tho policy of any railroad, no HOT matter how drastic that policy may Mf havo been and Is changed only in re- JJsS Hpect to making It road consecutively. Thoso men wero hired by tho rail- ng roads for tho purposo of "shilling" tho Jjs press, especially tho weekly press, with mnttor calculated to prejudice Hoi tho pcoplo against tho policy of tho , II J president. II r "But," quoting tho samo authority, I "tho campaign of propaganda is not $ lo bo all on ono side. Tho prcsldont W has tnken a very nggrcsslvo stand since his return to Washington, and, m bncked by Secretary Taft, will leave 9 no stono unturned to sccuro tho H weight of public opinion needed to HI forco tho sonato from its position of Iff opposition. A number of specch-mak- jfljE ing engagements havo boon mndo with MM this in view, and It is safo to say that jjjjffl few speeches will bo mado without dl- mm rcct rofcrenco to this topic." Hm Tho railroad pcoplo havo been con- K lending that tho president wanted to IK endow tho Intor-stato commorco com- mm mission with power to Inltiato rates lg and establish all rates on tho distance nH basis. This is donlcd by tho mouth- flE pieces of tho administration and tho Mm claim is mado that no bill has sought mm to confer moro power than for tho up substitution of a new future rato In mm placo of a specific rato, which has jSgj been found, after complaint and hear- ing, to bo unfair or discriminatory. It mm Is donlcd that this power Involves the lR general ratomaklng power. jrfj To show just whoro tho president Up stands in this matter it may bo cited lt that sovcral senators havo called on Mr him and urged him, In view of tho fact nf! that tho congressional elections aro I 9 to bo held In tho fall of 190G, that ho j postpono action until after that tlmo J i becauso tho effect might be destruc- j m tlvo to tho hopes of tho party In power. 19 To which ho ha? said that ho did not ijjjfl feel In any wise impressed with that 9 Iv t of talk; that ho believed the people peo-ple were entitled to relief and lo proposed to give it to them if ho could. Truth's Informant states that Sonator Elkins' interview with the president was lengthy and stormy, but that Elkins went away much impressed im-pressed with Roosevelt's firmness. "Any tinkering with rates would rako Cain with stocks," said tho railroad rail-road man who spoko with Truth. "It would mean a general upsetting of affairs. af-fairs. If wo woro sure that tho hill would pass, and I fear that tho influence in-fluence of tho president will cause it to pass, it would bo much bettor for tho railroads themselves to make thc3o changes, because if thoy nro mcrto by authority of law, instead of being voluntary, tho appearance of things would indicate that tho corporations corpor-ations woro being forced into giving up money that might go to tho dividend divi-dend fund and thoro you havo a tumble tum-ble in securities right away. It does not tako a great deal to upsot tho stock market. "Not that tho roadB as a wholo would suffer much loss by any such action," ac-tion," ho continued, "for after all It would bo only a balancing up, but tho idea of having been compelled to do a tiling would bo hurtful. Thoro aro a few lines that would get it in tho neck from such a proceeding. Bccauso while thoy all say rebates havo been nbolished, it is not truo everywhere. Rebates havo been lessened and cases aro less frequent, but thoro is a favorod class left just tho same and thoy aro ! beneficiaries. And thoy aro not small Ii' shippers either. Truth knows of a hardwaro com-I com-I pany In this cily that received a secret se-cret rebate of GO per cent on its s frclihts from the cast. Tho secrecy ? was lifted by a suit in court not long I ago. In which tho hardware company j suod tho manufacturers to recover ; dTirages bccauso tho manufactuors had shipped goods to tho hardware i company over a lino other than thai with which tho hardware company i' had tho robato arrangement. The ( hardware company, of courso, dnro not sot out tho fact of tho rcbato arrangement ar-rangement in its pleadings, but enough transpired In court to show tho fact. "One thing mny bo dopendoti I upon," ho continued, "and that Is tho ' abolition of tho prlvato car lino. Bo-cuiso Bo-cuiso regulation, such ns is proposed means practical abolition. It is proposed pro-posed to make them publish their t ratoi and lncludo nil charges In tho i published rates. When this is done i you can bet tho prlvato enr men will J bo seeking to 'make different arrangc-( arrangc-( ments.' '' "And I nm informed," ho Bnid, "that I publication of rates is not tho only ' amendment to tho law suggested, it ij Tl-ero will bo somo other action taken ff l 4i of oven a more drastic sort." If wj ,' It Is stated that tho president de- h W slro3 that congress shall enact a law I providing for a uniform system of I B bookkeeping and that export oxnmln-P oxnmln-P 8 1 ors, such as aro now employed in tho I examination of national banks, will bo 5 if engaged to check up all books onco or i , twice a year, thus giving tho business it of tho roads a publicity thoy havo not j , yet enjoyed, which will tend to dls- H cover any secret rebates, and that all H I trelllc agreomont shall bo mado pub-19 pub-19 I He Immediately upon adoption. Tho H ' question of terminal abuses and "olo- i' m vator charges" which havo boon a m means of division, of profits with small it . Industrial lines will also bo taken up m and an amendment to tho present law H ' eincted designed to correct any sj abuses in that direction, i As was stated, tho president Is very M firm in his vlowc and that ho has In-Eg In-Eg finance enough to force tho sonato to - I accept them is almost, if not entirely, Wl ( conceded by the representatives of tho jfflr several lines. 3, Tho railroads want to place tho mat- "9 ter of fixing rates in tho hands of con gress, believing that body more easily handled than would bo a commission of experts. Of course tho reasons for tills nro obvious. It would bo ono section sec-tion compromising with nnother and "you tlcklo mo and I'll tlcklo you" from start to finish and tho result would bo no change In rates at all. Tho president does not seem to care what tho political effect will bo so long as tno public receives tho relief to wnlch it Is entitled and In this stand ho will bo backed by tho entire country, coun-try, a comparatively few railroad men excepted. o |