The Saint Paul globe., 1897-11-05
A LOOK BEFORE THE LEAP.

A LOOK BEFORE THE LEAP.
Had the proposed motion of the gov
ernment to postpone the sale OF the
Union Pacific railway until Dec. 10
been pressed and granted, there would
have been an Immediate revival IN
congress and about the country OF agl-
tation for the purchase and operation
of the road by the government. Tne
more or less dormant sentiment
in this country in favor OF
governmental ownership and operation
wo,1ld have been stimulated, and we
would have had a winter in which, IN
and out of congress, this would nave
been the leading question t
is more than probable that that
large and industrious body of gen
tlenlen. whose occupation it is to Sc
lect what they term issues on when 10
construct ladders for their own polltlcdl
climbing. would have imagined they
saw in the naturalization of railways
a winning card and divided parties on
it in the coming campaigns. Fortu-
nately that chance of further plunge
into state socialism is past.
But the idea still remains, and some
one in an Eastern state has prepared
bill, which, he says, will be intro
duced as a substitute for the FORAKER
bill permitting pooling. Whatever the
this nation
climbs slowly upward into capacity
for actual self-government, there are
several serious matters to be consld-
cred now when any such proposition is
broached. First and foremost comes
the getting into ownership. NO one
yet has had the hardihood to advocate
the confiscation of the railways, and
were one to, there is a little provision
in all constitutions prohibiting the ap-
preparation of private property for
public use without compensation to
the owners being first paid or secured.
We, that is All of Us, who constitute
this government, will have to buy
them and pay for them. Their stock
and bonds amount now to about SILL,
900, ,000, ,000 Grant, for the argument,
that this is part water and
would not be paid for, there
will remain many billions which
must be paid We have not the money
and must go in debt for it and pay in
terest on that debt until it is paid
The money to pay this principal and
interest must come out of our pockets,
those of All of Us, for governments
cannot make money. Are we ready to
incur a debt nearly three times that
incurred in the Civil war?
And for what end? That those who
ride and those who ship may get cheap
er fares. In the first place, we are
getting cheaper fares and freights now
than are the people of any country
whose governments own and operate
railways. In the next place, why should
we buy these roads to get what we can
get by mere legislative enactment?
States already possess the power to
prescribe rates, with only the limita-
ton on them, in this state, that the
rates prescribed shall not be so low as
to prevent a reasonable return; not, in
this state, on the capitalization. but on
the present cost of reproducing the
railway. If one has the power to say
what his merchant shall charge for
goods and groceries, he would be
foolish person to insist upon also own
ing the store with all the bother of
it's management.
But the government does not use the
power? Well, that argues more strong
ly against than for governmental own
ership, for it argues the incapacity to
even secure the rates it can get of
government which is expected to run
the roads, make rates and collect
them. But what is this government
about which men prate so glibly?
Does it now manage the limited mat
ters entrusted to it so we'll as to war
rant giving it so complex a matter as
the railways of the land to administer?
Are we all so contented with it's op-
Grafton now? Is there no just cause
for complaint? Who make up the ac-
tual governors of the proposed sys-
tenn? The senators and representatives.
Is there not a pretty general agree
ment as to the incapacity of the senate
to deal with ordinary matters? Has
not the house of representatives been
condensed practically into three men?
If it were not, if each representative
were a potential force in the house,
would any one, from his personal
knowledge of the kind of material out
of which these representatives are Sc
lected, entrust them with the manage
ment of even one stub railway? In
short, is there not a lot of work vet
to be done in getting good government
to transact its present work before we
put upon it the stupendous task of op-
Grating the $4,000 miles of railway in
the United States.
4 HANDSOME PREMIUM.
There was a little news item in the