Page:The truth about the railroads (IA truthaboutrailro00elli).pdf/127

Rh other words, a daily application of the “square deal.”

Take them as a class, moreover, the income received by the railroad officer and employee is no greater than that received by those interested or engaged in other business pursuits in the United States requiring the same ability and experience; and in the case of the railroad-owner, it is less.

We hear the expressions “railroad problem” and “railroad question” very often. There is nothing mysterious or unusual about the railroad business, and the problems and questions surrounding it are the same as those affecting other commercial business. In considering the railroad business, however, the fact should not be lost sight of that the business of building, managing, and operating railroads is comparatively new. Only within the last thirty years has it assumed the great importance and proportions that it now has. The work done by the American investor, railroad-builder, owner, and manager in the last thirty years has been enormous in producing the present Rh