The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-08-30

size Oh the government ROAD 10 come
down to the same scale of charges.
This would force all the roads running
parallel lines from the Lakes to the
Gulf to run on lthe same basis. Let
the Government build q trunk line
from the lakes in Canada to New Or
leans. and it will regulate all the north
and south traffic and travel.
Under the present conditions, six
men practically control all the railways
in the United States These six men
can, through their underlings, say to
the $4,000 railway operatives, Vote
for Grover Cleveland or get off this
road" and these $4,000 American
voters will have to stultify themselves,
| vote as directed. or become tramps and
their families starve or beg bread.
Any one knows that such power in the
hands of six men is menace to the
Republic and that such power renders
these $50, 900 American citizens help
less slaves. By transferring these
railroads to the Government these
men will be shorn of this power.
This will place every railroad opera
tive on an equality and absolutely in
dependent of each other. Then all
would vote for justice and for freedom,
for it is only through fear of those who
can ruin them that American citizens
can he made to vote against their own
interests, or through dense ignorance
but thank God the ignorance is disap-
pearing and soon bossism will go with
AS to buying and paynng for these
~ <,f< HOY
are worth say Sill 600, OOO,O 900. and
! their books show that they owe $1O,-
72G, 600, 900 on them; having only paid
about $275,OOO,OOO on them. Now
everyone knows that if these roads are
ever paid for the people must do it..
Then by all the laws of justice, if the
people pay for them they should be-
long to the people; but it is never in
tended that this indebtedness shall be
paid. Just as soon as the Govern
ment begins operating one trunk line
east and west. and one north and
south, the present owners will be anx-
ious to sell then. Then let them he
appraised at their true value.
! This value will not exceed a, OOO,-
OOO, 900. Then let the Government
|
year and 2 per cent per annum interest
ont of the traffic every year, and by
this means they will be paid for in ten
years, and the people will own them
and thenceforth be free men. BY this
plan the people will save $4OO, ZOO, 900
per annum that they are now being
enslaved to pay. But, says one, is not
that paternalism?
1t il no more paternalism than car
rying your letters or packages of four
pounds or under. 1t will be remem-
bered that Thomas jefferson in 1904
bought 757 200, 900 acres of land upon
which New Orleans, st. Louis and
many other urge cities now stand, and
he astonished the world for his bold
ness in plunging into debt Of about
$4,000, 900 for this vast territory; yet
that purchase was bigger job than
buying the railways now.
As matter of fact, Government
ownership of railways has been thor.
oughly tested, and has never failed to
be success. Sweden, Holland, Bel.
GUM, Germany. Russia, India, Aus.
tralia, Canada, Egypt, China, Spain,
Japan, Denmark, Italy and Portugal
own most of the railroads, and We are
sure to do it at no distant day in the
United States.
The best of oil is that no one can
produce single sound argumen,
against Government ownership of rail.
ways. telegraphs and telephones.
The most tOotbsome mOrsel to the
average mossback outside of peddlina
nauseating falsehoods on the Populists
and their pla forms, is in advising the
dear people how to live cheaply. Ut.
terly forgetting that, the intelligence
necessary to equip man for self-gov
eminent revolts at anything short o.
justice.
If these relics of defunct aristoc
racy could realize how ridiculous the,
appear when advising independent
American citizens to go halt fed and
half clad, while few of the Govern
ment's pets extract millions annual,
from their labor right before thei1
eyes, they would retire to some lionel,
spot and subside.