The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-01-09

, gain is the prime factor in the man.
agement of the railroad business in
!, this or any other country, extor-
tons and frequent disaster must be
expected, and will be experienced.
A Remedy that is Not Remedy.
Senator FELTON, of California de-
clared in a recent interview that in
his belief transportation was the
most important subject with which
the present Congress would have to
deal, especially as regards the in
terests of the Pacific coast. The
railroads have become power that
must be curbed." In this opinion
Congressman Geary of California
concurs but their methods Of curb
ing them are not intelligent. They
propose to subsidize steamship
lines, and to guarantee the bonds Of
the Nicaragua canal, with the view.
Of course, of establishing water lines
as competitors of the railroads. By
large expenditures, which, by the
way, should be made, our principal
rivers can be made navigable to
an extent that would enable river
steamers to become formidable
competitors Of the railroads. The
Nicaragua canal can also be made
advantageous as means of cheap
ening trans-continental rates; but
none of this can be accomplished in
the manner proposed by the gentle
men from California, as they should
clearly see. We have paid bonuses
to half dozen overland railroads
for the alleged purpose of securing
competing lines, but the result SO
far has been that each new line, as
soon as completed, has combined
with its alleged competitors, and
the old extortions have continued.
Steamer lines have also been put on
the rivers and on the ocean to COM
pete with the railroads; but each
has been subsidized by the roads,
and so competition and the danger
of competition, killed. And this
will always be 50 while competing
lines or canals are in the hands Of
private corporations. There is more
money in combining than in COM
peting, and combinations by cor
porations can only be prevented by
eliminating profit from the business
of transportation. To do this the
railroads, canals and all transporta-
ton facilities and appliances must
be conducted by the government.
We can subsidize railroads, guar
antee canal bonds, improve rivers
and pay bounties to steamships and
steamboats,, and We can then enact
laws making it misdemeanor or
even a felony for any form of trans
portation companies to combine
but in doing so we will only have
established ways and means for tie
facilitation of the business of the
private bodies of men who will own
and operate the aided canals and
the vessels which shall ply the rivers
that have been made easily and
safely navigable by public money
and at public expense, and have
burdened our statutes with laws
that cannot be enforced. In spite Of
any law that can be enacted, or any
excess of subsidy that can be grant
ed, the railroads, canals, steamboats,
and steamships will combine to
the extent of establishing rates Of
charges, which rates will always be.
as they always have been, from two
to three fold more than q fair and
just compensation for services rem
dered Moreover, to prepare these
transportation facilities and to pay
these bounties and subsidies out Of
the public funds, for private uses
and benefit, is public robbery. Pub
lie money should only be paid out
for the use and benefit of the public.
The rivers and harbors should be
improved by the public. Our rivers
should be made navigable and
transportation supplied as a means
of public defense against the un-
considerable extortions of the rail-
roads; our harbors should b. i'm
proved and amply defended against
foreign enemies, and all of this
should be done at the expense Of
the public, but when the work is
completed the business of transpor-
tation should be conducted by the
government 1.-THE public's agent) for
the sole benefit Of that public which
furnished the means to accomplish
the securment Of that competitive
carrying. This is plain business
proposition, SO plain that only 3
fool can fail to zee it, and only a
knave attempt to deny it; whoever
furnishes the means to buy or pro-
duce property is entitled to own the
property purchased or produced,
and to enjoy the benefits derived
from II.