The herald., 1895-03-22
HINTS FOR HUNTINGTON
JAMES G. CLARK

With the exception of the money prob
lem the question of government and mu-
nicipal ownership and operation of public
highways and industries is perhaps the
most generally talked OF subject at the
present time. And in view of the arrogant
and selfish attitude of Huntington and
other robber barons. it may be well to see
how the question is regarded in Europe,
where intelligent men are no longer fooled
nor frightened by the term Socialism.
Mr.. James Hale of England published
through Cassell & Company, in 1893. a
book on National Railways, from which
Charles Frederick Adams of New York
makes the following notations. 1
commend them to Mr.. Huntington, who
may awaken some morning and discover
that he does not own everything in
sight and adjoining him, including the
Pacllc ocean and the starry heavens:
AS Mr.. Bonham Justly remarks, the
shareholders of the railways are not and
cannot be the owners of them in the strict
sense of ownership. They cannot own
franchise empowering them to take pri
vate property, or to construct, maintain
and operate public highway. They cam
not exercise it as public agents. but its
ownership remains with the state as an
essential part of the power of the state;
and it is the ownership that the state cam
not part with The direct motive for the
management of an industrial quasi public
franchise by those to whom such fran
chise is given, is essentially commercial
and private. The corporation to which
the franchise is committed has motive
for gain; and the motive for which the
franchise was given-public equal con-
vonience-does not of ITSELF and cannot,
run current with the motive for gain.
The two are not homogeneous.
" What, asks Mr.. Watherston, would
Nn Il 1.Et tNrtx 30
MES Offering to embank the rivers
Thames, Mersey and Humber, and to levy
heavy tolls at their discretion on all the
shipping passing up and down those
water highways?'
9 If one railway authority controlled
all the railways on behalf of the state, the
whole OF the kingdom could be practically
amalgamated. the lines stations and
warehouses of every company would be
open to all, and the servants would be
available for all. The one national inter-
est would absorb and settle all differences
1t is gravely asked why. if the state
runs the railways, we should stop short
of Mr.. Bellamy's wild proposals that it
should become sole producer and distrlb-
utor for the nation? What the state may
do in Mr.. Belamy's Twentieth Century
it would be rash to predict-the twentieth
century will settle that better than the
nineteenth can. The shibboleth of this
age com petition'-is dying with the
century that gave it birth it is not found
SO full of blessing, nor so essential to the
exercise of individual energy as it was
once believed to be. Educational pro-
gress. where it was deemed indispensable.
is fast discarding it, and this will extend
to other fields of social action. We must
not be frightened by words. In any case,
com mpetitioan' is inapplicable to the rail-
way SYSTEM which is essentially mo-
-. FL -.
stated by Mr. Frederick Hill. He saws
that the true line (of distinction between
the things the state may and may not
take up) is between things which can be
multiplied indefinitely and in which,
therefore, there can be an effective COM
petition. and those in which there
is, in the nature of things, a mo-
nopoly. He might have added to mo-
nopolies cases of proved public utility.
AS governments improve, more public
work can be entrusted to them. and they
in turn are improved by it. The process
is gradual. Thus it happens that indi-
viduals make highway or a bridge at
charge toll. In time this is found to be
an uncertain, slow and costly process,
and the community makes its own roads
and bridges. The postofiice was started
as private enterprise, and if it had re-
manned one it would never have reached
its present magnificent Development The
telegraphs have lin England) followed
this example The adaptation of it. the
telephone. will do the same. Gas, water
supply. tramways, are falling under mu-
nicipal ownership. Electric lighting is
now in the private, or company enter
prise stage, but the example of Bradford
and St. Pancras (about to be followed in
other places) show that this, too, is like
ly to fall within the sphere of municipal
government" 80, too, railways fall
under the class of things that the state
ought to own in the public interest. The
fair presumption is that railroads. like all
other roads. should be under public au-
thorty, and this is confirmed by practi-
cal experience. In other words to secure
the full advantage of which the railway
system is capable, it should be in the
ownership of the state, as the trustees OF
the public.
The single takers platform declares
that it is proper function of society to
maintain and control all public ways for
the transportation of persons and prop
erty, and the transportation of intelli-
gence and also to maintain and control
all public ways in cities tor furnishing
water gas and all other things that nee
essarily require the use of such common
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