The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-09-19
Uho shau o.on tns Railroads ?


Who ShGU Oac3e t1e Railroads +?
England owns and controls all the
telegraphic lines in that country. 1t
Is an expensive and fruitlcss operation. /
But despite this fact movement is
ON foot looking to the purchase of the T.
railroads of the nation by the govern
ment. Both these schemes have adj /
yocates and defenders in the United
States. 4 bill for the purchase of the
telegraph lines has been discussed in
Congress, and the Postmaster General
is in favor of this scheme He shuts
his ewes to the failure of the English
plan. and endeavOrS to faSten the rot
ten and valuelesS system upon the
+ United States The purchase of the
railroads of the nation by the Federal
Government also has advocates. Hon.
Amasa Walker, Of Massachusetts, is
among the number. He declares that
a remedy for the evil Of exorbitaRt
TRANSPORTATION charges is to be found
in A government management OF the
railroads and urges that the govern
ment begin buying up the roads, start
inc with the great East and West
trunk lines, and continuing until it
shall have purchased them all. Mr..
Walker asserts that railroads can carry
freights for one-half and even one-third
the rates they now charge. He pro-
poses that the farmers of the West
shall make the purchase and control
of the railroads the leading point in
their policy, and conduct their cam
Daion upon this idea until the change
is effected.
In opposition to Mr. " Walker's scheme
and reasoning, and in order to arrest
the attention of the farmers of the
West at this time, the St Louis Re
publican presents the matter in sever
al plain and practical aspects. In the
; first place that able journal puts down
the aggregate cost of the railroads Of
the United States at So, l59, 1913 ,05T
declares their absorption would in
: crease the national debt to 50, 299 000,~
600. and continues "Of course, the
government would have railroad prop
erty to represent three-ffths Of this
enormous debt; but the experience OF
all those States that have owned rail-
: road property, Missouri, Tennessee
t Illinois and others, is that such prop
= erty in the hands of the government is
not worth One-halfits estimate value in
= fact, it is more trouble than it is worth
for it involves endless fraud, embez-
element and defalcations, and corrupts
+ the whole civil service of the State >
The management Of the railroads is
also shown to be Of such an enormous
character as to preclude the Federal
T government from embarking in such
; a business. In 1870 there were /. .l72..
$40 persons engaged in transportation
in the United States Of these the Re
I publican estimates Gne-half are con
e nected with railroads. Sixty thou
l sand Onice-hoIders. of all kinds, are
supposed to be connected with the
, present government, or in other words
remarks the Telegraph, the conduct
Of the railroads requires nine times as
= many persons as the conduct of the
t civil government, and eight times as
y much as the civil administration and
the army together. The gross earn
ings of the railroads in 1872 were$4I3.- :
: 24l ,055, which is SIO0,0COO0O more
5 than the total receipts of the the gov
D ernment for the same year Imagine
100000 ofiice-holders added to the
civil service of the government, and
y the disbursements of the Federal
, Treasury augmented to $747, ,00O,O
/ per annum, and some idea NAV be had
: Of the overshadowing proportions and
. the irresistible power of the admins.
tration that should control these Of
fice-hOlders and disbursc this money!
: 1t is also urged with great truth
|. and force, that it would cost far more
Y to run railroads owned by the gov
ernment than those managed by pri
vate enterprise. As an enforcement
: of this position it is stated that ''tht
5 slight connection that the government
II had with the Union Pacific Railroad
n resulted in frauds to the amount O
forty-twO million dollars The man
agement of tho Georgia State road b1
an agent under Governor Bullock in
: volved great frauds, and in Vernon
! the connection of the State with ;
5 railroad has been the source of vas
S corruption" These facts are of sucI
a convincing character that they ouoh
to kill in the bud this movement il
Y favor Of the Federal government pur,
@ chasing the railroads of the country
The nation cannot afford to shoulder
their cost, nor is it prudent to increase
i the Ofiice-holders or corruption funC
= Of the Federal administration. They
L are each sufficiently potent and dan
+ gerous at the present time,-Agc.
IHE Philadelphia correspondent OF