Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-10-18
PARTY DESP0TISM

Would Be the Outcome of Govern
ment Ownership Of Railways.
Party Politics and the Civil
! Service Must Be Permanently
Divorced Before the United
States Tries the World Wide
Failure of Running Railroads
1t has been shown that the acquisition
of the railroads Of the United States by
the government cannot be accomplished
by any means now within our knowl
edge 1t has been shown that the pol.
Icy OF government ownership has been
very generally tried; that it has been
In operation in the older countries OF
the world through long series OF
years; that the most progressive coun-
tries and especially those in which the
form OF government is most liberal and
the people enjoy the greatest freedom,
are those in which railroads are wholly
under private control;
And that the Populist scheme of govern.
ment ownership is borrowed from Euro
pean despotisms.
1t has been shown. by figures gath
cred from the statistics of all countries
IN the world that the cost of operation
and the charges for freight and passen.
ger service are greatest in the countries
where the railroads are operated by the
state. 1t should be added to this that
an examination of the comparative
efficiency of the railroad service proves
that it is no where so generally unsatis-
factory as where the government is
master.
There Is no country on the globe
where railroads are 80 quick to provide
themselves with the latest and best i'm
provements and where the comfort of
the public is so carefully studied and
Its complaints treated with as much
Difference as in the United States.
Where state ownership prevails, a
certain standard is set up, as in the case
OF our own postoffice facilities, and to
that the public must conform. Protest
and petition are alike unavailing when
addressed to great governmental ma.
chine.
Where, on the contrary, the railroads
are operated by private companies,
competing eagerly for the public favor,
each leaves nothing untried to COM
mend itself, and the service is rapidly
elevated to the highest degree Of efic-
iency.
No one whohas travelled on the rail-
ways Of the continent of Europe, or
even on those of Great Britain, can
compare their service with that given
IN the United States without acknowl.
edging the great superiority of the lat
ter. The cheapest is also the best.
Rates Become Lower, Service Becomes
Moreover, this cheapening process is
q continuous one. Through good times
and though hard times it goes on,
forced along by the sire 1uous competi-
ton of rival companies and the multi.
plication of new processes of economy.
The cost of carrying passenger one
mile has declined nearly OF of cent in
the last five years and that of carrying
ton of freight one mile has fallen
nearly .O5 of cent in the same period.
Apply even these small reductions to
the billions of the people and the tens
of billions of tons of freight moved one
mile each year, and we have saving
OF money to the people amounting to a
good share Of the national debt every
year.
There are only two countries in the
world where state railroads have been
reasonably successful, and the condi-
lions prevailing in themgive an ex-
PLANTATION of the fact.
These countries are Prussia and Bel.
GUM.
The former has an area of 1874, 900
square miles, or something less than
Montana, and a population of over g..
,OOO, OOO
The latter has an area of 1873
square miles, or about equal to Mary
land and Rhode Island. It's population
is a little less than $780, 900, or about
equal to Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin
and the two Dakotas
1t is we'll known by those who have
had any experience in the railway bust
ness that these are the conditions under
which railroads become profitable, with
out reference to their management.
A very heavy population, condensed
within very small area. assures the
very largest possible patronage and
revenue in proportion to mileage and |
cost Of operation.
1t is the familiar rule that governs
all operations Of trade. The larger the |
business that is to be done with a given |
amount of machinery, the smaller the |
cost of each item of it, and the greater |
the net profit.
The conditions in the United States |
arc not only different from these, but
they are exactly opposite. We have !
here comparatively sparse population,
to be served by roads that extend for
thousands Of miles through country
that contributes little or nothing to |
their business.
That we have been able, under these
conditions, to even reduce our railway
charges to the level Of those imposed in
older countries is remarkable tribute |
to the excellence of our system.
FERROUS VuestlOn OF providing For Operat-
ing and Fixed Charges.
There is one consideration that has
been omitted in every discussion on
the question of government control of
railroads, but which alone is sufficient
to negative the proposition emphati-
cally.
1t will be observed that it leaves
out of the question all construction of
new lines in the future.
It assumes that the railroad system of
the United States, as it stands at pres
ent, is complete thing and that no ex-
tention Of it will ever be required.
Now we know the fact to be. by COM
DArison with other countries. that there
must be more railroad construction In