The San Francisco call., 1897-06-18
Spirited Debate at the Exer.
ciSeS of the Hamilton
School.
Reasons Advanced for and
Against the Socialistic
Proposition.
Young Debaters Receive a Compli
ment That Shou Last Them at
Least Five Years.

RTtuuatiug exercises last nlgnG AT the
Hamilton Grammar School Principal
Thomas B. w. Leland introduced Arthur
Johannsen of the graduating class, who
gave the address of welcome.
The feature of the evening was a debate
! upon the question:
ResoIred, That the United States Govern
! ment should own and operate all interstate
| railroads.
Miss Annie Goldberg Of the ninth grade,
with Leon Kramer and Harry Bennett of
tho alumni, spoke for the affirmative. The
neg ative was upheld by Dan J. Danahy,
Ed win Hanson and Frank Cram, of the
| High School DEPARTMENT, of which f.
! Herbert Dam is teacher.
/ Superin tendent OF Schools r. II. Web
| ster introduced Miss Annie Gold berg as
| the first speaker. The young lady all uded
| 10 the fact that Germany and Belgium
| had made success of government owner
| ship of railroads. Government owner
ship OF he postotfice IN the United States
had been successful. The speaker thought
! the civil service would keep the railroads
! from political corruption. She hoped
! that conservatism and silurianism would
| not long delay Government ownership.
Dan J. Danahy. the next speaker,
| thought that private ownership of rail-
roads in the United States. com paratively
speaking, had been a decided success.
The railroads OF the United States under
! private ownership are the best in the
| world. We have better speed, cheaper
rates and greater safety of service than
any country on the globe. If we are to
own our railroads. why not raise our own
sugar and wheat, work our own mines and
run our own iactorles2 Carry the argu-
ment for Government ownership to it's
! logical conclusion and we will in time
have absolute socialism. Because Ger
many has made government ownership
| anu operation a success is no sign that
the United States can. The conditions
in the two countries are by no means the
/ same. Why not take France, Australia
or Italy for an example as well as Ger
many, since in each of these countries
government ownership has proved q
| failure2
Harry Bennett opened by saying that
| Daniel Webster once said that the Govern
| ment could not long endure If the ca pital
| OF the country was in the hands of a few
men. The railroads set aside annually
| $l1O,OO 600 for various purposes of cor
| ruption. The speaker thought The rail-
roads had been successful in one way-in
lining the pockets of few rich men. The
railroads would not be more baneful TO
politics than at present.
Edwin Hanson argued that it is falla-
cious to cite fortune made in speculating
In stock as one made at railroading. Con-
siderlng the great risk the rallroad-owners
]
show their profits are not as a rule out OF
proportion. Because the Government has
made a success of the postottice is not evil
dence that the railroads could be success
fully managed. T.e work in the Post
office Department is routine work. Rail-
| roading requires men of Judgment, ability
and determination, and not mere clerical
skill. The civil service could lot fill the
positions OF railway managers. WHAT ex-
animation could be set, asked the speaker.
to test the competency OF railroad presi-
dent? Government ownership had proved
a failure In Italy. We must re member
that in the long run the interests of the
community are the interests of the rail-
roads.
Leon Kramer followed. He showed that
the railroad has the power to seat and un-
seat Senators. The power OF the railroad
in politics has been seen in California.
Under Government ownership the rates
would be just and not excessive The
Standard Oil Company and such corpora
tions get special rates, and hence are crea-
tions of the railroad. Under civil service
no favoritism could be shown. The speaker
did not think the Interstate Commerce
Commission was successful.
The closing speaker for the negative
was Frank Cram, who said: at would
cost $12, 200, 900, 600 to buy up the railroads
twelve times the present National debt.
Where Is this money coming fromP If
taken up by the present railway mag
mates. The number of railroad employees
is 100000. The number of Federal en-
ployes at the present time is 200 600,
hence these two forces com bined represent
/ 0OO 600 voters-over per cent of the yot-
ing strength of the Nation. According to
Professor Beaulieu, this would greatly
com promise political liberty" The de-
batter lhen argued that there was a doubt
as 10 whether government ownership
would be constitutional.
Those governments that own their
railroads acquired them on very easy
terms. Canada loses So 000, 600 year on
her roads. The United States would lose
$50, ,000,0 coo a year if her roads were ope-
rated as IN Canada. The present railway
owners would undoubtedly refuse to SELL
The Government must then force them to
sell. Tne Government and railroads could
not agree upon a price, so that the former
would virtually name the price and force
the latter to accept it." In closing, Mr..
Cram claimed that the burden of proof
resting upon the negative forced them to
show that the change would be necessary
constitutional, possible, practicable, sue
cessiul and in every way desirable. He
showed that the affirma tive had failed to
establish these points, and therefore that
the negative was entitled to the honors of
the debate.
Harry Bennett closed the debate. He
asked, "ls it more expensive to buy the
railroads than to fight the railroads in
Congress2' 1t cost the United States
millions of dollars TO fight these railroads.
The speaker aid not think the railroad
owners would refuse to sell ii they could
get enough for them.
The judges, William Langdon, Miss
Emily Z. Rhine and Miss Margaret Will
liams, returned with decision for the
negative.
Superintendent Webster complimented
the speakers on their excellent showing
and the training they had received. He
said it was the best in tellectual entertain
menL ne had attended this year. and that
the speeches were better than those he
had heard in Congress on the same subject
Principal Leland then announced that
next term there would be new courses in
the high school and the commercial de-
partEients.
The remainder of the programme was
as follows:
Song, Miss Christine Bluxome: cornet solo
John Cahill; Scotch dance, Robert Ross: reci.
tation, William Klumpp; guitars and mando-
lins Brown brothers; song "Marchinp
Through Georgia." school
Then followed the conferring of dinIo-
mas to the following graduates:
Bookkeeping graduates-Rudolph Abram.
son, Charles Blume, Leo Behm, Louis
Bertrand, William Enright Jr, Morris
Harris, John King Frank Leayy Mil
ton May, Robert Matthey, Sam Pactscher, GUS