12 



THE HARDWOOD RECORD, 



for the good of the people, for it must be 

 torne in mind that in this country of 

 ours the people are still "boss." The boss 

 even of the railroads. 



The American people are very patient, 

 but they never submit to oppression with- 

 out a vigorous protest. They know all the 

 time that they have the power, but they 

 hesitate to exercise it. 



An evidence of this is furnished in the 

 case of the Indiana Car Service Associa- 

 tion. A direct fight on this associa- 

 tion in the United States court to 

 prove that the organization, termed a 

 partnership among railroads, is a viola- 

 tion of the federal anti-trust law, is 

 planned by Indianapolis shippers. The 

 mandamus proceeding against the Big 

 Four Company, begun by the Republic 

 Chemical and Creosoting Company, is the 

 opening of an attack, which shippers hope 

 will result in a dissolution In the Car 

 Service Association. It is said while Mr. 

 Reilly. manager and principal owner of 

 the creosoting company, began his fight 

 on behalf of his concern alone, a number 

 of shippers made known their wish to 

 join him in the fight as soon as they 

 learned of it. The new organization of 

 Indianapolis shippers has taken no action 

 yet. 



Counsel for the Big Four Company has 

 made return on the writ of mandamus is- 

 sued in Circuit Court. Owing to stress 

 of business in that court the matter was 

 continued until the next day and has 

 since been tried, although we have not 

 learned of the outcome. In the mean- 

 time an injunction suit against the Car 

 Service Association to prevent the further 

 delay of lumber and pitch shipped to the 

 creosoting company will be filed by Mr. 

 Reilly. 



The ground on which the shippers ex- 

 pect to take the matter before the federal 

 grand jury is that the organization is in 

 violation against particular shippers. It 

 is possible for a railroad company to hold 

 back cars billed for a certain concern 

 until enough have accumulated to swamp 

 the concern when they are delivered. 

 For instance, it is cited, cars of material 

 for an Indianapolis factory may be held 

 up in Shelbyville or any Indiana town 

 until fifteen or twenty are accumulated, 

 and then the whole number delivered. 

 The factory cannot unload the cars rap- 

 idly enough to prevent being penalized 

 for delay by the Car Service Association. 

 It is not charged that this is done, but 

 it will be shown that it can be done, and 

 that for that reason the association is 

 unlawful. 



It will also be shown, it is said, that 

 railway companies have a system of al- 

 lowing a secret rebate to favored ship- 

 pers. Of the amount that is collected by 

 the Car Service Association, it is alleged, 

 the greater part is turned over to the 

 company owning the cars. The railway 

 company may then, if it desires to win 



Or hold the friendship of a big shipper, 



refund this money. In all cases, it is 

 charged, the penalty is exacted by the as- 

 sociation, but frequently big shippers get 

 this rebate from the railroad company. 



We notice among the associations en- 

 gaged in this fight is the Indiana Hard- 

 wood Association, and we trust success 

 will attend their efforts. We observe, too, 

 that President Roosevelt has taken steps 

 to prevent the merger of all the railroads, 

 as he did that of the northwestern com- 

 panies. We are prepared to indorse any- 

 thing that the president does, but we be- 

 lieve that in this case the surest and 

 simplest remedy will be to let the com- 

 panies go ahead and consolidate, and then 

 when they have the power let them go 

 ahead working injustice on the people to 

 the fullest extent. In such a case, -being 

 oppressed beyond endurance, people will 

 the sooner authorize the government to 

 take over the railroads. 



JUST HONESTY. 



Just honesty. That's all. A perfectly 

 simple proposition. A child could see it. 

 But it took a big man to work it. 



Just honesty. Thou shalt not steal. 

 When Moses said it, it was already old. 

 When Folk said it, it was still new. It 

 runs through autocracy, aristocracy, de- 

 mocracy, and all other forms of govern- 

 ment, and if it doesn't vivify them they 

 are dead. The election in Missouri went 

 to the roots of life. 



Just honesty. Why should a man who 

 believes in it be reviled as a revolution- 

 ist? Because the business men who were 

 advancing their interests in Missouri by 

 bribery regarded any change as a revolu- 

 tion. They wanted no change. They were 

 conservatives. Folk wanted a big change. 

 He was a radical. There was no telling 

 how far he might go. If he objected to 

 having business interests control the legis- 

 lature by bribery he might object to hav- 

 ing them control it by discrimination in 

 freight rates. 



Jleanwhile he gives no indication of 

 having anything in mind except honesty. 

 Honesty has elected him democratic gov- 

 ernor of Missouri. 



AN IMPORTANT MEETING. 



Mr. James Wilson, secretary of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, is also president 

 of the American Forestry Association, and 

 as such he has called a meeting of a For- 

 estry Congress, to be held at Washington, 

 D. C., January 2 to G next. The editor 

 is in receipt of the following letter: 

 Mr. C. D. Strode, Editor Hardwood Record, 



134 Monroe Street, Chicago, 111. 



Dear Sir: — A forest congress under the 

 auspices of the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation will meet in Washington, D. C, 

 January 2-G, 190,5. 



The purpos^e of this congress will be to 

 consider the forest in its relation to lum- 

 bering, transportation, mining, irrigation 

 and grazing, and by forwarding the con- 

 servative use of the forest resources to 

 meet the present and future needs of 

 these great industries. Since the work 



of the congress should point the way for 

 effective federal and state legislation, it 

 is of the first importanct that lumbering 

 interests, which you eminently represent, 

 should be fully considered. 



The fact that the president of the 

 United States will address the congress 

 and receive its members is significant of 

 its national importance, while the prom- 

 ised attendance of many of the foremost 

 men of our industrial life assures definite 

 and far-reaching results from its delibera- 

 tions. The program will be of especial 

 interest to lumbermen by reason of its 

 dealing throughout with the more profita- 

 ble use of the forest. The lumber industry 

 in its relation to the forest will be the 

 theme of an entire session, at which a 

 number of papers will be read by promi- 

 nent lumbermen. 



The official call will be issued about 

 November 10 and the program about De- 

 cember 1. All lumber associations will 

 be requested to send delegates and I 

 shall be glad if you will assist in calling 

 public attention to this congress through 

 the Hardwood Record. I have the honor 

 to be. 



Yours with respect, 



JAMBS WILSON, 

 President American Forestry Association. 

 No graver question or one of greater 

 importance faces the American people, and 

 especially the lumbermen of the country, 

 than the preservation of the forest re- 

 sources of the country. 



It is folly to insist that the lumbermen, 

 out of sheer love of posterity, shall do 

 this work alone. Let us meet together 

 and discuss the matter. 



The lumberman's business is to destroy 

 the forest; to convert the trees into logs 

 and the logs into lumber. As well expect 

 the carpenter to protect the supply of 

 nails or the shoemaker to preserve the 

 leather for future generation. The only 

 hope in this connection is to prove to the 

 lumberman that it is to his own selfish 

 interests to stay his hand somewhat. In 

 other words, that he can make more by 

 preserving the forests than by destroying 

 them. 



The lumbermen are as patriotic and as 

 anxious for the welfare of posterity as 

 anybody, but as long as he can get more 

 for the land when it is cleared than he 

 can with all the timber resources un- 

 touched, so long he will continue the work 

 of forest denudation. 



This is a pretty big proposition. If the 

 forests of Indiana remained untouched to- 

 day they would be a source of vast wealth, 

 but if the forests were untouched Indiana 

 would, of course, be practically unpopu- 

 lated and her smiling and fruitful farms 

 and all the wealth they produce year by 

 year would be an impossibility. Indiana is 

 worth more as she is, and if anyone own- 

 ing Indiana stumpage had held it intact 

 for the last fifty years he would not only 

 have lost the revenue to be derived all 

 of these years, but would be but little 

 better oft than if he had cleared the line 

 and put it in cultivation years ago. 



The lumberman says, "Preserve the for- 

 est? You must show me." 



We shall always have trees. We be- 

 lieve that there are as many trees in the 



