Page:The truth about the railroads (IA truthaboutrailro00elli).pdf/52

Rh every year a substantial amount of their earnings for improvements like better passenger-stations, more side tracks, better rails, better ballast, safety appliances, and other forms of improvement of which the present generation of railway-users get the immediate benefit, as well as making possible a higher development of the country for their children and grand-children.

The railway-owner, the railway employee, and the railway-user must coöperate, and all must remember the definition of coöperation,&thinsp;—&thinsp;“the association of a number of persons for their common benefit.” In the long run it will not benefit the railway-user to crowd down rates so low and raise taxes so high that he takes away all chance of profit from the railway-owner. The railway employee must remember that in the long run he will not profit if he crowds up wages so high that the railway-owner has not sufficient margin for the development of the facilities along progressive and safe lines. On the other hand, the railway-owner must in fixing the rates do so in such a Rh