Newspaper Page Text
; A CHANCE. OF HEART.
t
i Until very recently, when a railroad
' ' magnate was approached by a news-
paper man, the latter got a very chilly
reception. But of late how things
have changed. Why, alt the general
managers arc fairly tumbling over
one another in an effort to furnish in
formation. Brother Bancroft, down in Salt
Luke City, started the ball rolling
and actually demonstrated that he has
. qualities that would have gained him
a position as a war correspondent in
almost any old towi' where a news
paper is printed.
Immediately following came the
frank and open expressions of Mr.
Harriman, who absolutely glowed
with warmth and loving kindness
whenever he saw a reporter, and
when he got a chance to talk to one
just naturally bubbled over with
soothing information and genial
statement.
Rockefeller tore off the shell that
has enveloped him for so many, many
years, and unloaded several moral
firecrackers on the young men of the
press day after day; Yoakum con
sented to be interviewed as readily as
an old maid would oil a last chance
proposition: Mellcn let the news
go therers handle him as clay in the
hands of the potter; Jim Hill aband
oned his gruffness .nd smiled sweet
smiles through his sfraggly whiskers
as he unraveled yard after yard of
juicy information.
There must be a reason for this; in
deed, there is one. Not one, but scv
' cral. The passage of I he rate bill by
congress was one, and the passage ol
several rate bills by -the several states
having the nerve constitute the oth
ers. The magnates sec tht the tem
per of the people has at last been
"' touched, and that they arc up against
it unless t'hey do something They
have commenced to realize that the
railroads do not own the country,
and that they must conduct their
business on a fair basis, or else collide
with the law.
The Journal believes that a railroad
has a right to cam money the same
as any other corporation, or any firm
or person. That it has the right to
'H conduct its business according to the
ideas of its management, when those
ideas arc according to law and equity.
The Journal belicvees that a railroad
is a great factor in the development
of a country, but at the same time it
docs not believe that .'titer the country
is developed and the people thereof
have: become so numerous that! the
lailroad can pile enormous profits
on the business furnished, that the
corporation has the right to go in and
skin the denizens of a community, or
of several communities, simply be
cause it has been an clement in the
creation of a new country, or in tin:
improvement of an old one.
The principle 'of fairness is one that
should obtain everywhere. And in
many cases the railroads have not
been fair. When earnings have in
creased to such enormous figures that
it has become necessary to issue a lot
of watered stock for the chosen few
to rob the helpless man on the whack
ing up of dividends, instead of paying
fair margins on the original capital
invested, and expending the balance
n betterments, the principle of un
fairness becomes plainly manifest. Of
course this sort of argument will not
appeal to railroad attorneys, and some
railroad officials, who believe every
thing not expressly forbidden by stat
ute is all right, morally and essentially
proper, but they are beginning to see
that the unwritten law of wrong and
right is commencing to obtain, and
that many states, and the nation it
self, arc enacting its provisions into
the written.
And while' we would like to believe
that all these fellows who have been
merging one line w'th another on the
basis that the more water one adds.to
a sponge the larger it gets, are begin
ning to see the light and are prepar
ing to do wliat is righteous in the
premises, at the same time the Mis
souri corpusdle circulating through
the red blood prompts us to demand
that the rectitude of their intentions
be shown in specific acts. Because
wc sincerely believe that the boys are
hedging, and arc palavering with the
reporters and the editors to gain a
little time in order that they may
hoodwink the dear people. In other
words, to quote the vernacular of the
squared circle, they arc sparring for
wind. " "
Having been a little too brash, and
having been caught with the goods,
they are now seeking to divert atten
tion to their manifold excellencies and
their great goodness until they get a
chance to unload.
This sort of conduc may becloud
the vision of many, but there arc a
number of men and unhappily for
t'he railroads they hold office who
are not to be misled by any argu
ments that are made up of soft soap,
taffy and other well known condi-
.ments. It seems, to be the detcrmi
tnation of the national government
and the determination of nearly all
the state governments, with the ex
ception of Utah and two or ihrce
ethers, to lay down the principle that
the public has yet a few rights which
tht railroads arc bound to respect.
It is true that the reaction from the
one condition to the other may be too
severe, yet wc believe the natural law
of Cause and Effect, assisted by its
twin sister, Supply aid Demand, will
cause conditions to right themselves,
especially when that law, or those
laws, arc administered by a conscien
tious and far-seeing Republican ad
ministration, such as wc now have
?nd such as we now intend keeping.
But it is refreshing to note that the
erstwhile despised reporter is coming
into his own, and that instead of be
ing repulsed, he is being sought after.
That the door of the private car has
the latch string out always, and that
in the window of the mansion of the
magnate there is ever a light burn
ing. For, when such conditions ob
tain, one can almost gamble all his
loose change that the prediction of a
millcnium is correct, and in the vista
of the ages coming we can see the
rustic of her bright girments, and by
cocking our ears and listening intent
ly wc can catch the faint rustic of the
wings oh which she flics in this di
rection. It is also refreshing to note that
when such a change occurs and the
chaser after the frisky item is thus
sought for, that the cause of the com
mon people is not in as great danger
as previously, for, when a newspaper
man is turned loose on any situation,
you can bet that his works insure
safety and his- actions peace.
For unbending themselves and talk
ing for publication; for taking the
public into their confidence, be the
extent ever so limited, the railroad
managers, owners and magnates are
to be commended, and from these few
lines they arc at liberty to pick out U
plmost any variety r.f flower they sec M
fit to select and cn;oy. State Jour- H
PATTI'S CAREER DRAWS TO H
A CLOSE.
The Famous Singer Will Make One M
More Farewell Tour of Eng- H
land Next Year and M
Then Retire. H
It has recently been announced that H
Mine. Patti, the famous singer, ha M
determined to bring her long career M
to a close with a short tour through M
England a year from this fall Prob- M
ably the greatest singer that the world H
has ever known, the Baroness Ccdcr- M
strom is now in her sixty-fourth H
year. She made her debut when only M
seven, and for the past fifty-six years M
i.as been in the public eye.
In this time Patti's wonderful gciw H
ins has met with full appreciation. It H
has been no uncommon experience M
for her to receive as much as ten M
thousand dollars a night, and her M
voice has earned for her a large fort- M
unc. According to tl.e English peri- H
oaical Home Notes, from her early H
childhood she has been thoroughly M
aware of the fact thai people would H
pay for the privilege of hearing her H
sing, and some present had to be H
forthcoming' before she would consent
to appear. M
The famous singer has always been H
a favorite with the English royal fam- H
ily. Just before the marriage of the H
Prince and Princess of Wales, Al- H
frcd Rothschild gave them a dinner, H
at which the king drank the health of H
" my old and valued friend, Madame M
Patti," and then went on to describe H
how the queen had held the little H
Prince of Wales up to kiss the prima H
donna in order that he might be able H
to say that he kissed the " famous H
Patti." Woman. H
THE GAS WATER HEATER I
A "GAS WATER HEATER" at- M
tached to your present kitchen boiler H
at a cost of about three i:cnts, will 'H
give enough hot water for a bath. H
Don't forget that with a GAS H
range in your house you can sleep an H
hour longer in the morning. We sup- '
ply the best make of each and !H
would be glad to talk it over with H
you. Call 'phone 77 or drop us a M
postal. We are at your service. I M
UTAH LIGHT & RAILWAY CO., H
Gai Department, No. 9 South Main Street. I H
'I
