New-York tribune., 1873-03-08

longer shnre in or control ~, ana 80 msinau-
aged that they can no longer endure IT," III
the railway business has not reached this con-
dition already it is rapidly tending toward IT,
and interference in one way or another Is De-
coming pressing necessity. We have tried
interference by statute, and it has only cor
rupted our legislatures without reforming the
railroads. Now let us leave off meddling, and
allow the Government to control the roads,
lust as it controls the water supply and the
Post Oflice-that is, by owning them. There
is general misunderstanding of the nature
of state ownership of railways. 1t is not
necessary, nor is it desirable, that the Govern
ment should own every railroad in the
country "The very essence of the system
"of state management" says Mr.. Ad-
ams "les, not in the ownership
"of all the railroads by the Government, but
Gin the control and regulation of the whole
"through the ownership and management OF
ga part" II ia proposed that the States should
assume, let us say, one great trunk line; and
| in the case of Massachusetts,, Mr.. Adams sug-
gests the Fitchburg, the Vermont and Massa-
| chusetts, and the Massachusetts Central roads,
| giving direct communication between Boston
and the West by means of the HOosac tunnel
| This will establish q permanent competiuoh
between the Government on the one hand ana
| the private companies on the other. One VIII
| keep the other up to the mark of economy
| and efficiency, and the combination which Is
| always effected sooner or later between rival
roads under the present system will be rem
dered impOssible. The Belgian roads are
managed on this principle. and Mr.. Adams
shows that the result has been entirely salts
factory.
He ia met of course with the objection
that a Government railway system implies
incalculable jobbery and corruption. But, says
Mr.. Adams, it would on the contrary relieve
| us of one of the most prolific sources OF the
decentralization and dishonesty which now al
| flict us. 81 do not hesitate to maintain" he
continues, that of all the devices for intro
"ducing corruption into politics and the Gov
"ernment which could emanate from the I'M
conscious ingenuity of the most stupid legis-
"lator, not one could be found equal to the
"existing system of railroad supervision and
Regulation. Upon what does that system de-
"pend9 IL depends upon this, that one man
"is to regulate and supervise the property of
| "aDOther The sway of the railroad man and
"the lobbyist is notorious in half the legis-
"latures of the country. And why are they
"thereP They are there because your false
"system of legislation has effected separation
"between the ownership of q thing and its
regulation, and he who owns the thing
"knows he must also own the legislature
(which regulates the thing" The natural
result is Oakes Ames and the Credit Mobilier
system The Post-Oflice is not well managed;
but it has never cngendered corruption. New
| York and other large cities have undertaken
to supply their citizens with water, and no
scandalous jobbery has been the result. But
if private corporations had assumed the own
ership of these works, and the Government
had attempted to regulate them, we know
very well what the consequence would have
been.
Such is a brief outline of the plan which
Mr.. Adams proposes in his thoughtful and in
teresting address. OF course there are difficult
ties which he has not attempted to meet, and
others of which it may be thought that he has
underrated the gravity. But whatever may be
thought of the details of his scheme, there can
be no doubt that it is an able and ingenious
contribution to discussion which is daily
assuming more serious proportions, and as
such we commend it to the carcfullcst study.
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