The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-03-17
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY.
Advantages of Government Owner
ship of Railroads Considered.

the "Reigu of the Corporation Th'
people would be boss again.
Second. 1t would stop corrupt Leg
islation in their behalf The motive
would be gone.
Third. 1t would nnshackle Trade
and Commerce from "the Trust anc
"the Ring" They cannot operate
without the aid OF the Railroad
Fourth. 1t would stop determinations
against certain persons and certain
places. The motive would be gone
The Post Office treats all alike. Sc
would the Government Railway.
Fifth. 1t would stop speculative
Railroad buildings. The Government
would lay GU! new road where needed
and nowhere else.
Sixth. 1t would to great extent
destroy the tyranny of capital over labor
and render strikes well nigh obsolete.
Seventh 1t would enable the cotton
planter to exchange products With the
corn planter on fair terms which would
leave profit to both. At present the
railroads impoverish them both.
Eighth. 1t would remove the causes
of the hatred of the people to the roads
and harmonic all interests.
Ninth. 1t would equalize all avoca-
tions and shippers; and would take
away the power the roads now have to
destroy business, section or an
individual.
Tenth. 1t would put into the hands
of the people weapon with which they
could destroy any combine among
capitalists in any article Of Commerce.
Eleventh. 1t would save enormous
sums now paid in fancy salaries.
Twelfth. 1t would save the 10000
lives lost every year for lack of safety
appliances.
Thirteenth. 1t would bring about
absolute free trade and cheap traffic
between all sections of this great coun :
try destry "the pool;' knock the pins
from under the stock broker; put an
end to the insolence with which so
many officials treat the public; remove
the leverage which English capital has
on our labor and its products give a
death blow to this internal blooming
of towns and cities at the expense OF
the country and for the benefit of few
capitalists over many laborers. 1t
would be a giant str Ike in the direction
of equality and manhood rights and to
the destruction of our Glass System Of
Special Privilege, Shoddy Arstocracy
based on Commercial Spells and
advancing through the dirty lanes and
perils of bribery and corruption.
In Australia the Government owns
and operates the Railroads and does it
successfully. So they do in Sweden,
Germany, Austria, Russia, Belgium.
Really there is no difficulty in the way
except that our people have grown So
accustomed to the yoke they are diff
cult to arouse.
Next to the Financial Question.
regard this Transportation Question as
the most important issue before Us. The
debate is just this: "Sball the People
rule this Country or let insolent Cor
porations do it p
Hon. L. M. Trammel. SO long Pres
ident of the Georgia Railroad Com
mission, told me last year in Atlanti
that he favored Government ownership
He says eve cannot control the roads
in any other way" Hon. Allen Fort
member of the Commission is likewise
in favor of Government ownership. 81
is Judge Thomas NJ. Cooley, late
Chairman of the United States Inter-
state Commerce Commission The jot
is too big for any Commission tt
s. control" Remove the motive fol
piuuder in the Railroad System anc
you'll stop the evil. No other plar
would succeed. IF the Roads were in
the hands of the Nation, an oficia
might embezzle a few thousand occa-
sionally but he could not systematica Ily
lay plans to ruin a whole section
Under our present system this is done
The South and the West are Railroad
victims to day pluudered remorselessly
and constantly of untold millions o.
dollars.
No wonder Jay Gould despises the
people. He thinks that if they
possessed either sense or spirit they
would not submit. Some day the limi
OF patience will be reached. Possibly
it has already been reached. Fo
myself | believe it has not only beer
Ii Lak kh.