The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-09-29
WILL COME TO US YET
THE Government OWNERSHIP
Or RAILROADS.
Shall the United States Attempt It-An
Able Article from a Writer In the
Philadelphia American-Sums Up the
Situation.

Since the adjournment of the popu
list convention, and the adoption
by that convention of plank favOring
the government ownership of railroads,
there has appeared in the monopolistic
press much unreasonable comment on
this score. We have seen those who
believe that the government should
own and operate our railroad systems
in the interest of the whole people,
called demagogues and robbers. We
have even seen those who advocate this
socialistic step, believing that in no
other way can unjust discrimination
between persons and places in the mat
ter of transportation rates be prevent
ed, held up to scorn as anarchists.
Those who so loudly, but withal so
ignorantly, deprecate the government
ownership of railroads, would do we'll
to fix their attention for few minutes
on the report of the committee Of gov
eminent ownership, control and regu-
lation of railways, made to the national
convention of railroad commissioners,
held at the Office of the interstate COM
MERGE commission at Washington on
May 10 and 20 last. On this committee,
which was appointed by authority Of
the convention held the year previous
ly, served Hon. A. K. Teisberg, of Min
nesota, Isaac B. Brown, of Pennsyl-
vania, S. 0. Wilson, of North Carolina,
J.. c.. Allen, OF Nebraska, and Olin Mer-
rill of Vermont. Two reports were sub
mitted to the convention, minority
report by Mr.. Wilson of North Caro-
lima taking decided grounds in favor
of government ownership, and the re-
port of the majority, which was some
what tentative, the members of the
majority recognizing the evils of over
capitalization and arbitrary discrimin
atoms in the matter of rates, recognize
ing government ownership not only as
a feasible, but perhaps the only possible
remedy, and yet hesitating to advocate
such ownership.
But the fact that the majority of the
committee were evidently prejudiced
against government ownership gives
their report even more weight than it
would otherwise carry. Listen, in part,
what they had to say:
"That the government has the right
to acquire the railroads of this country
by purchase, at fair valuation, no one
will dispute.
"It is only a question of expediency
and policy. In a republican form of
government such as ours, it is not ex-
pedient nor good policy to invade or
appropriate fields of industry for the
simple gain there might be in it.
"Our government has assumed con-
troll over the waterways Of the coun-
trv for the benefit of all the people;
large sums of public money are annu-
ally expended to maintain the useful
ness of such waterways, in the inter-
est of commerce, but the government
does not build vessels to enter into
competition with it's citizens in the
CARRYING trade If railroads could be
waterways, there could be no question,
perhaps, that the government would
have exercised the same control over
them as it has over waterways; but
from the nature of railroad business
this is not practicable. Hence, If the
government should assume the owner
shin of the railroads, it would neces-
sarily also have to own and operate
the equipment; in other words, do the
whole railroad business.
while it may be true that some of
our people desire government owner
ship of railroads for the money they
believe there is in it, doubtless other
and better reasons influence the
majority who are in favor of this
scheme.
Zone of these better reasons is aptly
exnre ssed In the last annual report of