Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-07-17
THE RAILROAD PROBLEM.

In the May number of the Arena is
found a condensed treatise on the rail-
road problem by G. j. Buell.. 1t states
facts from beginning to end and is
worth a careful reading. Mr.. Buell. is
brief but every word has its effect and
every paragraph gains a point. He
sums it up in the following language:
"All highways should be the common
property Of all the people, free and
open to all carriers at all times. The
carrying trade itself over these high
ways, like all other productive enter
prises, should be kept entirely free from
public interference or control. Most
of our highways are now common and
free, and much OF our carrying trade is
now in this ideal condition. The rail-
way is about the only exception. There
the highway Is monopOlized; hence the
carrying trade is monopolized by the
highway owners, and the people are
robbed by unjust charges; while on the
free oceans, lakes, rivers, canals, coun-
try roads, and city streets, competition
keeps carriers charges down to cost of
service.
The final solution of the railway
problem is how to make the railways
free public highways, to which any
carrier may adjust his engines and
cars, and enter into competition with
all other carriers unhindered by gov
ernmental interference or regulation
10 no
lance in the future: but an immediate,
practical, partial remedy for railway
strikes and other present troubles lies
close at hand and is easy of application.
Every railway corporation owes its
existence to public grant. 1t is a
creature of the governmental public
servant. The one reason for its exls-
tence is Its obligation to run trains and
serve the people. The moment trains
cease to run regularly, that moment the
company forfeits all claim upon gov
eminent for protection to its property.
1t is not the business of government to
regulate the relations between railway
corporations and their hired men, any
their clerks, or between housewives
and their hired girls; but it is as much
the business of government to compel
all railway corporations to perform
their contracts with the people as to
protect their property. Any govern
ment that fails to compel corporations
to run their trains and serve the people
fails in its duty, proves treacherous to
its trust; and it should be promptly
supplanted by a government of the
people, not one owned by the railway
companies.
Enforce this principle. Let our
present executives and courts do their
plain duty; use soldiers and lnjunctions,
If necessary, against the guilty man
ayers, not against innocent employees,
and no railway corporation would dare
underpay or abuse It's men. Enforce
this principle, and railway workers will
take care of themselves. The COM
panies will be obliged to pay living
wages and treat their men decently.
They would not dare to let a strike oc-
cur. Their own personal, selfish in.
terest would solve the problem of their
relation to their employees.
Under the existing status of private
ly owned railroads, the whole problem
sums itself up IN this: Can we, the
people, elect governors, presidents, and
judges who will serve the people in
stead OF the corporations to whom we
have foolishly granted large part of
our sovereignty? And until the rail-
ways are made free and open to all
carriers on equal terms, until the rail-
ways are made real public highways
instead of private roads, this will be
the practical problem: How to force
the companies to run their trains re-
gularly and serve the people, regard
less of what wages they are obliged to
pay their men.
1t is, perhaps, needless to say that
this principle applies only to such cor
porations as exercise public functions,
as railway, street-cars, gas, water,
telegraph, telephone, and other cor
porations of like character, who enjoy
special grant of franchise. Of course
such franchises should never be grant
ed; but those to whom they have been
granted should be held to the strictest
performance of their duties to the pub
lic.'