The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-10
STATE OWNERSHIP OF RAIL.
ROADS.
The Great Advantages Which Old
Countries Have Over Americans.

the state ownership Of railroads. l
can't swallow that" We answer him:
would you like to travel at one cent a
mile or less, instead of three cents a
mile; or, as it is in parts Of Montana,
ten cents milc:" They reply, sis
that pOssible?"
Read the following from lrving'S
Breaker Ahead" page As:
TRANSPORTATION.
The first plank Of the transDorta-
tiOn section is as follows:
Transportation being means OF
exchange and public necessity, the
government should own and operate
the railroads in the interest of tho
people"
1t is a sound maxim OF political
economy that "all natural NJ onopolie
should be owned and operated in the
interest of the people"
Chief Justice Black, in one of his de
cisions, declared that
"a railroad is public highway fol
he public benefit"
His deciSi on has never been QueS
toned, and all railroad legislation
takes this for granted. But for til:
government to own and operate tt
railroads is another thing.
There are people who say that raj
road can not be profitably and sati
factorily carried on by the govern
ment. In anwer to this it is sutlicier
to say that they are already carried
satisfactorily. economically and prof
ably by the government in diffcreE
parts Of the world. And that in til;
country they are not carried on by til
private companies either SatiSfactor.
ly, economically or protitably, espec
ally SO far as the people are concerned
In Germany almost all the railroad
were acquired by the government i
1881. Wages have been almost doubled
and the fare is one cent for four miles
The following item appeared the Othe
day in the Golden STATE:
Prof. Sering, of Berlin, who Wa
sent here by the German government
study and report upon our agriculture
and industrial conditions, states tina
the entire German people are now COZ
WINGED of the wisdom of the change
and while there is more or less discus
sion in the legislative body regardin;
railroad administration, no voice il
ever raised in favor Of a return to the
old system. Rates have been largely
reduced, interest on bonds paid, sink
ing funds provided for, large portion
of school tax paid out of the earnings.
and there is nova surplus of $25, 900 ,UOU
on hand But the best part of the
SYSTEM says Prof. Sering. is the com
plete abolition of discrimination; ali
men are treated exactly alike, no one
shipper has the advantage over anoth-
er. Were there no other advantage.
even if in other respects the present
system was not so desirable as the old,
this one, with it's even handed justice
to all, would instantly silence any de.
mand that might be made for return
to private ownership
ID. A. Reynolds in his Demands"
says:
"Australia, which has the most ex-
tensivc railroad system in proportion
to Inhabitants of any country on the
face of the globe, has paid for her rail
roads from the earrings of the roads in
ten years. and for the last three years
has appropriated their NET earnings
to the support Of the government
reducing national taxation nearly One-hdT
This has been done with reduction
of freight to one-half of the former
rates, and the reduction of passenger
rates to one-hdf cent per mile, or one
guinea for thousand mile ticket"
Fellow citizens, how would you like
to be able to ride 1000 miles for S.:
And to know that the biggest part of
that is profit; going to reduce the
taxes.
1T CAN, AND WILL BE DONE
If you put the Peoples party in power.
In Hungary, state ownership raised
the number of passengers IN one gear
from 100000 to 13,0O0 200, with higher
wages and a relative decrease of ex-
penses. The fare is one cent for sic
miles.
In Belgium the government owns
the railroads and charges about one
cent q mile. The wages have been
doubled.
In India splendid railroad system
has been constructed by the govern
ment, with rates In some cases only
Orae-Sirh 1Chdt aCe are charged.
In fact, no country has ever tried
public ownership of railroads without
finding it an enormous advantage over
private railroad companies.
In comparison with all this, read the
disgusting and abominable history of
many of the railroads Of this country.
One of the best pamphlets on the sub
jet is that by the Hon. Thomas V,
Gator, entitled "The Necessity and ad.
vantages of National Ownership of
Railroads." published by the Citizens
Alliance, San Francisco.
The following appeared in the Times
the other day:
"Seventy-one railroads in the United
States went into the hands Of receiv-
ers in 1893, being 13 per cent of the en-
tire railway mileage of this country
Up to date nearly ~ per cent of Ameri-
can railway interests have been over
taken by bankruptcy, and it is notice
able that the bankrupt roads estab-
lished the fortunes of the Hunting
tons, StanfOrds, the. Vanderbilts. and
host of other railway millionaires.
And still people argue that in private
ownership and management Of rail-
ways Justice and economy are con-
served!'
There are in this country l,7OO sep
crate railroad corporations, each with
scores of highly paid officials. Once in
q while they get to fighting one anoth-
er, but, with the exception of these
rare intervals, they are all the time
conspiring with each other to cheat
the public still more. If some railroad
should be too independent to suit
them and lower its rates, they either
brush 1t by diverting the traffic. or
bride it to raise it's rates again. To
defraud the public they have "a host
OF contrivances, such as pools, rebates,
nnrawpacks, special rates. passes, etc.