The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1898-01-26
REPLY TO A popULIsT.
Seine Reasons Why Government Owner
ship and Control Would not be
for the HcSt.

Seine Reasons why Government owner
ship and Control Would not be
" for the Best.
Chicago. Jan. 19.-Prcsident Rip
ley of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fc, has written a letter to the editor
Of a Kansas popu]ist paper replying
to communication published in
that paper citing the number Of peo-
pie killed by the railroads Of the
United States as reason why these
railroads should be put under gov
ernment. control. Mr.. Ripley points
out that the railways carry the
whole population Of the state Of Kan
sas two and a half times before one
passenger is killed; that last year
the trains on the railways in Kansas
ran over SO,000,000 miles. yet only
one employees life was sacrificed fol-
every 43l, 900. OfsA,4 ,406 others killed
in the United States in 1896 the re-
ports show that 3,811 were trespass-
ers, that is to say out Of every %
persons killed, 10 were killed because
they were breaking the law aud were
in places where the railway people
had no reason to expect to find them
Mr.. Ripley warmly defended the
railroad employees Of the country
against the charge of negligence ir
the exercise Of their duty, saying
that statistics show fewer lives are
lost by railway transportation ir
proportion to the miles Travelled thar
by any other known method Of loco
motion. He draws the conclusion
that the plea Of government owner.
ship because of the number Of per.
sons whom the railway kills is ell.
tirely worthless.
Coming to the question Of owner
ship he says that to himself anC
other railroad officers it is Il maJtei
Of entire Indifference. Next comes
the question whether or not the
owners Of railroads are opposed tt
government ownership and he points
out that the strongest plea made il
behalf, of government ownership j!
that Of Il. B. Blackstone, prcsidcnl
OF the Chicago & Alton road, wh(
urged it>as a measure IF Justice tt
the railway investors. There is II;
holder Of railroad securities, he said
who does not believe that those Sc
curities would advance in value i
there were any prospect Of the gov
ernment buying them.
Mr.. Ripley says if he is opposed t,
government ownership it is not as
railway man but as IL citizen, tn,
argument being made that the gov
crnment should have charge Of th'
railroads because private administ"a
tion of them is satisfactory. AS
matter Of fact, however, he says, TIN
best managed railroads Of the worlt
are the English. They are all ownet
and operated by private companies
Next to them in management, III
states, are the private owned lines il
Holland and FRANCE, while the gov
ernment owned lines of France ar
very bad.
sit is easy to TALK" he says, 80
the government giving better sci,
vice, employing more men, lowering
rates and Still making money. AS ;
matter Of fact, government manage
ment of anything never was ant
never can be us economical as pri
vate management and TO earn TIL
interest on its Investment (six to tit
teen billions of dollars) the govern
ment would have to increase TIL
| ff,r eprvirn nI, 1.,t <,r
the government owned lines Of Aus
tralia, cheaper the service, emplo
fewer men and let things general
get into disrepair, or rely on taXatio
to make up the deficit as done 0
the government lines Of India"
The most serious consideration
are, however, Mr.. Ripley says, poi
tical ones. There are $4,000 raj
way employees in the 'Unitcd States
Under government ownership caCl1 {
these would be political appointed
This, he said, would not onl
lower the character Of the service
but would be appalling in the trt
mendous political supremacy whc
those $4,000 employees would civ
to the party in yower. Who can tie
what would be the political result
of the contracts for new lines, ett
The scandals and jobbery Of I'll
river and ;harbor appropriations {
the tariff would be nothing compare
to the field that would open to til
spoilsmcn Of the railways. I'll
building of new lines would 'dcpcn
entirely on political ''pull'. D
tricts or states Of a political con
plexion opposed to the party in powe
would have to wait till the crack
doom for any new lines and in di
tricts where the friends Of the AZ
ministration came from there wou
| be lines as thick as stripes on a cat
back"
! Deafness Cannot BE Cured
by local applications, as they Cannt