The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-04-24
An IMPORTANT QUESTION.
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP AND
OPERATION or RAILROADS.
A Lecture Delivered in Duluth, Min
nesOta, Before the Peoples
Party Central Club, March
18th, 1898.
Continued from last ,ceek.

BY JOHN RUSTGARD, ATTY AT LAW.
What is and what is not the proper
functions of the government? have
been problems of fierce contention
through various ages. Although
many great and others not so great
political economists profess to have
found solution, it must be conceded,
that no decision can be reached which
will hold good for all ages and under
all conditions. 1t is simply matter
of growth and development. Because
one system was not properly within
the function of the government at
one time, it does not follow that it is
not now, nor become so in the future.
The maintenance Of standing armies
and navles were once not the proper
function of the govern ment. 1t was
private business under taking some
what on the Pinkerton plan. For
centuries in Europe large standing
armies and standing navies were
maintained by private citizens and
hired out to the various monarchs
who might need their services.
Though times and conditions changed
so as to make the maintenance there
of the proper function of the govern
ment, people could not be reasoned
into accepting the idea. They could
not see how government could drill
and maintain troops as cheaply and as
efficiently as private man; they re-
fused to change their system until af-
Tor tho hf,fU vyoo
Gustavus Adolphus at the head of
few thousand governments troops so
emphatically whipped the private and
numerically far superior armies of
Tilly and Wallenstein; that southern
European countries had to adopt the
plan of the Snow King in order to pro-
tect themselves against the Northern
ers; and today no one would dare to
allow the maintenance of standing
army by private citizen. The postal
system was once private undertak
ing and properly so. 1t was later as
properly taken possession of by the
government. Under government con-
troll it has been improved step by step
until today it works like machinery.
You cannot imagine business where
more care, or more 'punctuaity is re-
quired, and where any little slip is so
easily detected by the public as there.
Yet, ything is we'll nigh perfect.
If any company or corporation feel
they can do the work better or cheap
er, they have every Opportunity to
wade in and compete with the gov
ernment. The best system, private
or public will have the business and
patronage Of the public.
1t is argued that the government
ownership of the railroads is imprac-
ticable and dangerous; that it adds
one-half million employees to the gov
ernment patronage and that force Of
voters will be used by the party in
power for it's own perpetuation in Of
flee: that the men employed to run it
will be selected by politicians as the
reward for political services, and not
according to personal qualifications
and not according to fitness for their
respective places, ,and that the patroD-
age thus added to the government
will greatly tend to corrupt politics
generally.
There undoubtedly are difficulties
to be encountered, but they are diff
culties which must and can be mas
tered. The time has come when the
government must run the railroad or
the railroads will run the govern
ment. 1t is unmanly to shrink from
the additional responsibilities and
duties which follow as a natural re-
suit of progress and civilization. AS
the boy grows from youth to man
hood, he meets new difficulties at
every step: new duties to perform and
new responsibilities to shoulder. He
cannot evade them. He cannot turn
backward old time in it's flight He
must assume his new duties and re-
sponsibilities in manly spirit, or he
must 60 under and become wreck.
So with society; SO with the govern
ment: progress and civilization bring
new duties and new responsibilities
from time to time, and in Demo-
cratic government, a government by
the people, the people must assume
what time thruSts upon them. But
most Of the reasons urged against
government ownership of railroads
are without merit and the result only
| of prejudices, and are such only as
have always been urged against every
reform of whatever nature. There is
nOU du ODJcCbIOu uldUS UO tIlC govern
ment operation of the railroads which
| cannot with equal force be urged
against government OF, ,ration of the
postal system and standing army.
Whatever the case may have been
prior to the passage OF our civil ser
vice laws, no one will now say that
the employees of the postal depart
ment exert any different influence on
American politics, than as good, inde-
pendent and intelligent citizens. Any
| influence different from that they
would assert if privately engaged.
Party strife cannot reach them. AS
far as their situat ations are concerned,
| it makes no difference to them what
party is in power It would be ridic-
ulous to charge that tAe postoffice en-
| ployes of this city have had any influ-
ence on the elections here, except such
| influence as would he exerted by any
other independent body of men, nor
did the hope of procuring positions in
that office have any influence what
ever upon the voters, because every
body knows that he who has passed
the best examination receives the ap-
| pointment, no matter what his poll
tics, his religion, or his nationality
| may be. In the whole office, there is
only one place Mhich is the prey of
| politicians and that is the Postmas-
ter's chair, but no one will claim that
that one position has any perceptable