The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-21
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP OF Rail-
ROADS

In his new lecture which he is now de-
livering throughout the east ex-senator
INGALLS,, speaking of the government own
ership of the railroads says:
To obtain government control Of the rail
roads, which is now advocated by MANY it
would cost four times the amount of the ma
tional debt at the close of the war, and suppose
the government did obtain the control, they
would be run very much as they are now, one
man would be on the engine, one would be con
ductor and another would ride in special train.
and another would be on the wayside with a
bandana handkerchief around his neck watch
ing the procession go by.
1t is popularity of a good many men
that they attribute their industrial misfor-
tunes, and their inability to make aEsuccess
of what they undertake to the soullessness
of railroads. Until railway is built in n
country everybody is eager for road, and
will blame the capitalists for not coming to
the relief of the people who are
ready to demonstrate with statis-
tics how much money can be made
by an investment in rails, locomotives and
cars. No sooner is the road completed and
trains running than these same people fall
to and denounce the capitalists as thieves
and robbers, and show by facts and figures
how the railroad is running the country.
preventing development by eXorbitant
charges, and so on. The story is the same
everywhere. Owners and managers of
railways are held up as enemies to the COM
munlty, and sometimes as downright
brigands.
The remedy which the unthinking ones
would apply to the supposed evils is the
government ownership and control of the
railroads. Just now considerable party.
the Farmers Alliance, proclaims in favor
of such ownership and control, and
if that party were to come into power il
would undoubtedly put its theory into
practice, only to have Mr. INGALLS, word 3
verified, and q greater evil than is now
dreamed of fastened upon the people.
The other day we published some railway
statistics taken from advance sheets of
Poor's Manual. These figures showed that
the assets of railways in this country
amounted to something over ten billions of
dollars, or about four times as much as the
national debt at the close of the war. Thew
Furthermore showed that the income from
railways was only about 21z per cent. on
the money invested. Comparatively
few of the roads are paving dividends,
many are barely able to meet their opera
ting expenses, and others are run at loss
the mortgage foreclosures being numerous.
the property being sold at much less than
its actual cost. We are not attempting q
defense of the railroads in their extortion.
ate charges but cannot refrain from ask
ing how it is that railway property is so
improbable if the charges are too high9 IF
rates were reduced would not the profits be
diminished?
We sometimes hear it said that the gov
ernment could operate the roads at less ex-
pense than private companies, but such
assertions carry no weight from the fact
that government can successfully compete
with private parties in no business or in
dustry. The truth is that to obtain con
troll of the railroads would multiply the
national debt by four, upon which the peo-
pie would be compelled to pay interest.
then higher rates for transportation would
be charged, or the roads would be operated
at loss and the deficiency would have to
be made good by the collection of more
taxes; and finally, the railway bureau
would be the greatest political machine in
the nation, giving the administration such