The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-20

eminent management of anything never
was. never can be, as economical as pri-
/ vate management. and to earn the inter
| est on its investment the government
| would have to increase the rates for ser
vice as has been done on the government
| owned lines of Australia; cheaper the
service employ fewer men and let things
! generally get into disrepair. as done on
| the government-owned lines Of Italy. or
| face an annual deficit and rely on taxa
| ton to make uD the deficit. as done on
the government owned lines in India.
support Of this Mr.. Ripley quotes from
the report OF the house committee on pos
tai affairs of January 6. commenting on
the unbusnessIike administration of the
pOstohice department and expressing the
opinion that the work could be better and
more cheaply done by private enterprise.
The most serious considerations are.
however. Mr.. Ripley says, political ones.
There are $500 railway employees in the
/ United States. Under government owner
ship. each Of these would be a political
appointee This would not only lower The
character Of the service but would ae
appalling in the tremendous political SUI
premacy which those $4,000 employees
would give 10 the party IN power. In
Kansas alone there would be about 2sOoo
ofice-holders-more than there are now to
support the administration.
Worse stIH would he the political re-
suits Of the contracts for tho construc-
ton Of the new lines etc. The scandals
and fobbery Of the river and taEbOr APP
preparations or of the tariff bnl would
be nothing compared 20 the field which
would be open 10 the spoIlsmen BY the
railways. The building of new lines would
depend entirely on political pull Dis
tricts or states OF political complexion
opposed 10 that Of the party in power
would have % wait TIN the crack ~
doom for any new lines. and in districts
where the friends ~ the administration
came from there would be lines a. thick
as stripes on q cats back
Mr.. Ripley then quotes from John stu
AFT NH Judge Cooley 81 Michigan. Judge
Schoonemaker and Martin A Knapp. the
last three members 81 tho interstate COM
morca commission. IN opposition 20 gov
eminent ownership. Judge Cooley es-
Docfallv refers ~ the ill-s1ccess n the
state Of Michigan Ia the experiment OF
state ownership.
Touching the efficiency % American
railway management. Mr. Ripley quotes
from Il Hung chang. Marquis IamaEa-a-
Prince HIIkon. SIR Henry Truman WOOD
and Paul Leon Beaulieu. who concur
in the opinion that American railway
service Is superior IN every way 20 the
European. and be quotes from govern
mont reports on the EoveruH8enf-o-sara led
railroads u Indla. France Austral.a.
1talv. Holland. Aus.ra-Hgrra Ger
many and other countries. which give q
consensus - opinion 20 tne e6sct that
government management S. expensive and
inefficient Iu comparison vth private
management. and some ~ them even
show thai accidents are more Frequent
On state than on private Eaez
We ho1e al THE merchants = the citT
wso received coupons FOR copy o.
sr-s,terr Ink" Or me gear ls1s have se.st
.-on FL and that they viii read ea-a
-,,-rt.e~ carefully as they cone. we con-
-s-s 20 yo1r special attention. TIE article
IN tse January 18th number. page g. an
.-,fr5e er-ftied store Aansre meat