Show SENATOR LONG addresses the knife and fork club on city dec 21 united states senator chester I 1 long of kansas addressing the knife and fork club tonight on tho proposed rate legislation said railroads are private property in the sense that individuals own their stocks and but they are public property in the sense that they haye a duty to perform in relation to the public thoy can be regulated and con strolled trolled by law discriminations between individuals should cease discriminations between localities must bo only those that are due to natural advantages which one city haa over and to that may exist at point and another the responsibility rests upon congress to frame a bill that will meet the situation and prove effective when administered it is a great res honsl billay bill ty the power of railroads to fix rates is almost equal to the power of taxation the unrestricted exercises of this great power menaces ahe rights and liberties 0 tho public congress haa the unquestioned power to regulate and supervise the making of interstate rates and it should exercise more of its power so that the carrier may be compelled to treat th public with respect and even handed justuce jus an attempt under the guise of regulation to compel the carrier to transport property at a rate so low that it will not produce a fair return on the in vestment will be declared invalid by the courts thus there is no danger to the carriers in a bad vicious and unfair law fiut tho injury wl b to the shipper and the public by attempt ing to provide them relief through a law that will bo declared illegal and void congress in considering this ques alon should determine it not acae in the interest of the carrier and the shipper but in its relations to the public as well president roosevelt in his last message suggested the true course to batee and congress wh do well it it walks in the pathway which he haa marked out ng poon chow editor of a chinese newspaper in san francisco also spoke new york dec 21 la lorraane Lorr alne from havre passed cape racen E at midnight last night la lorraane Lorr alne will probably dock about seq a in sunday v 4 |