THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1907. AMERICA'S RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8372, 4 March 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1907. AMERICA'S RAILWAY SYSTEM.

It has long been admitted in theory that in eveiy civilised country the people have a right to demand the use, on the best and most reasonable terms, of all public conveniences that have practically become necessities of civilization. There are very few countries, however, in which the theory has been reduced to practice. The appeal made a few days ago by President Roosevelt in favour of an efficient State control of the railway system of the Republic illustrates this fact, and perhaps indicates the reasons for its existence. President Roosevelt did not find it necessary to argue the question whether the people of the United States were entitled to a fair use of the vast railroad system of their country on reasonable terms. He knew that this was admitted in theory, by everyone who heard him speak. He did not consider it necessary to dwell upon the fact that the people of the great Republic did not in this respect get what they were enitled to; for this was known to everybody. What he did think it necessary to point out was the special difficulty that in the way of Americans obtaining their rights in the matter; and what he was concerned in urging was that,

even at the cost of a modification of the terms of the Constitution under which their country had enjoyed an almost unexampled prosperity for a century and ' more, it was necessary to consitute some central power strong enough to see that their rights were respected in the matter of railway service. He probably did not think it worth while to call attention to the vast fortunes made by the capitalists who had built the two hundred thousand miles of railroad that profess to-day to serve as the great highways of the American people. Everybody in the United States knows quite enough about this already; but the President's appeal for an amendment of the Constitn- > tion which should control the rail-1 ways and their owners was founded upon this fact. As the matter now stands in America the people and their vital interests are at the mercy of the ring of capitalists who have i built the railroads, erected the telegraphs, and own the telephones of the country; and these men will not readily relinquish the hold they have been allowed to get. Again and again in the last eight years laws have been passed by the national Parliament, and machinery has been provided to protect the public from imposition, but these attempts have been almost without results, owing to the fact that the States have also the right to make laws which cannot be interfered with within their own territories, and the great corporations can deal effectually with the State Parliaments and officials. If this can be overcome President Roosevelt is evidently sanguine of being able to secure fair play for the people, who are now at the mercy of the corporations and receive little mercy from them. It is more than likely he is too sanguine in this expectation. By a reference to the plebiscite provided for by the Ameri- , can Constitution he might—it is not ! unlikely that just now he would —odI tain-the amendment he advocates; but when he had done so he would still be face to face with the vast selfish power of the capital that controls these railroads. The corruption which has made all laws passed by the States to control railroads inoperative would then be concentrated on the Central Government and its officials, and it is far from improbable that it would prove just as effective and at least as injurious to the public interests as the pressure hitherto exercised piecemeal on the States through which each railroad passed.