The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1892-10-14
THE RAILWAY PROBLEM.
Why There Should Not Be Govern
ment Ownership CT Railroads In

problem. As he is regarded by all par
ties to be an authority, his letter is
given entire, being complete answer to
all that has been said in favor of gov
ernmental ownership of railroads:
I'm q recent article I attempted to
show, from the experiences of other ma
tions, the impracticability of govern
mental ownership and management of
railroads in the United States. In the
following pages some facts are presented
in regard to the practical results of such
experiments by states in this country.
The states which have made the attempt
and abandoned it in favor of independ-
ont corporate ownership and control are
Massachusetts,, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia.
MASSACHUSETTS.
IF the successful ownership and
management OF a railroad by state
government were practicable, such sue
cess might have been confidently ex-
pected in the commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts. The Troy & Greenfield Rail
road company was chartered in 1848, but
after years ofstruggle, ending in fail
ure, the state took possession of the en-
tire road in the year 1866 and completed
it; the work embraced the Hoosac tun-
mel, the longest railroad tunnel in the
United States. Different plans of adj
ministration were resorted to, but with
out success. and in the year 1887 the
entire property passed from the posses
Al La - L. I'll
burg Railroad company. Thus did the
good state of Massachusetts, as the re-
suit of an earnest effort, yield its verdict
il: favor OF the proposition that railroad
transportation in this country must be
regarded as private enterprise and not
as public function.
PENNSYLVANIA.
1.-THE state Of Pennsylvania made the
earliest, and perhaps the boldest, at
tempt in this country at state railroad
and canal ownership and control. In
pursuance of Legislation adopted in 1925,
the state embarked in the construction
of a transportation line from Philadel-
phia to Pittsburg. This line, begun in
1923. consisted of railroad from Phila-
delphia to Columbia, eighty-four miles
long. where it connected with q canal
extending to the base of the Allegheny
mountains The mountain srmmit was
overcome by a system of inclined planes
extending to YOUNGSTOWN, and canal
on the western slope completed the line
to Pittsburg. The boldness of this en-
terprise is indicated by the fact that
when it was inaugurated it was debat-
ed question as to whether the railroad
portion of the line should be operated
by locomotive engines or by horses.
The state of Pennsylvania sold these
works to private corporations in the year
1859, as the result of a conviction drawn
from experience, and never shaken, that
the work of transportation must be re-
garded as private enterprise and not
as public function.
Soon after the admission of Michigan
into the Union in 1886, the state gov
eminent entered upon scheme of rail-
road construction and operation, aided
by a large land grant from congress for
internal improvements. The scheme
embraced the Michigan Central railroad,
the Michigan Southern railroad, and
other lines. The impracticability of the
scheme was soon developed. In 1916
the Michigan Central was sold to pri.
vate corporation formed by Boston cap
italists. The sale of the Michigan South
ern followed soon afterwards, and in the
year 1850 the people of Michigan in
corporated into their constitution pro-
vision which forever prohibits the state
from being interested in or engaged in
carrying on any work Of internal i'm
provement. Thus did the people of
Michigan express, as the result of prac-
teal experience, their conviction that
the work of transportation, as we'll as
the maintenance Of a railroad, must be
RENTED to private enterprise; and that
it cannot be treated as public function.
This result is the more striking in view
of the fact that, at the time it was at
tempted the conditions were much more
to success than now, each one
of the lines in Michigan being an auton-
omy in the work of transportation;
whereas at the present time each line is
part of gigantic and e1-
ceedingly complex national railroad sys-
tenn. This remark applies also to all
the other attempts made in this country
at railroad management.
ILLINOIS.
"The state of Illinois in the years
1S3S,39 built, and for about two years
operated, the Northern Cross Railroad
extending from Springfield to Meredo-
STA, distance OF about fifty miles. This
work cost about S1,OOO,OOO. 1t was OPP
Grated by the state for two years. The
income from it was less than the expense
of operating it, and it was eventually
sold for 100000. It is now a part of
the Wabash railroad. The people of Ill
inois have never since attempted to en-
bark in the experiment of state owner
ship and management of railroad.
"The state of Indiana began the con-
struction of q railroad from Madison,