The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-20
It WOULD Be A CURSE
Mr.. Ripley Rips a Populist Theory
Up the Back.
AS TO THE RAILROADS
Facts and Figures Showing That Gov
ernment Ownership Would Make
the Country Sick of 1t From
the Very Start.

Chicago, Jan. 19.-President Ripley of
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Ee has
written letter to the editor of Kan
sas populist paper replying to a COM
munication published in that paper cit
ing the number of people killed by the
railroads of the United States as a rea-
son why these railroads should be put
under government control Mr.. Ripley
points out that the railroads carry the
whole population of the state of Kan
sas two and a half times before one pas
senger is killed; that last year the trains
on the railways in Kansas ran over
500, 900 miles, yet only one employees life
was sacrificed for every 431. 900 miles. OF
4,i06 others killed in the United States
in 1896 the reports show that 3.Sll were
trespassers, II say out of every % per-
sons killed; 10 were killed because they
We're breaking the law and We're in
places where the railway people had no
reason to expect to find them.
Mr.. Ripley warmly defends the rail-
road employees of the country against
the charge of negligence in the exercise
of their duty, saying that statistics
show fewer lives are lost by railway
transportation in proportion TO the miles
travelled than by any other known meth
cd of locomotion. He draws the con-
clusion that the plea of government
ownership because of the number of per-
sons whom the railway kills is entirely
worthless.
Coming to the question of ownership,
he says that to himself and other rail-
way officers it is matter of entire in
difference. Next comes the question
whether or not the owners of railways
are opposed to government ownership.
and he points out that the strongest
plea made in behalf of government own
Iii, 4
dent of the Chicago & Alton road, who
urged ii as a measure of justice to the
railway investors. There is no holder of
railway securities, he said, who does not
believe that those securities would ad
vance in value If there was any pros
pect of the government buying them.
Mr.. Ripley says if he is opposed to
government ownership, il is not as Il
railway man but as a citizen. The ar
gument lis being made that the goN-
ernment should have charge of the
railways because private administration
of them is unsatisfactory. AS mat
ter of fact, however he says, the best
managed railways of the world are the
English. They are all owned and oper-
ated by private companies. Next to
them in management, he states, are the
private owned lines of Holland and
France. while the government owned
lines of France are very bad. 1t is easy
ing better service. employing more men,
lowering rates. and still make money.
As a matter of fact government
management Of anything never was
and never can be as great "A success
as private management, and to earn
interest on it's investment tsix to fifteen
billions of dollars) the government
would have to increase the rates for
service, as has been done on the gov
ernment owned lines of Australia.
cheaper the service, employ fewer men
and let things generally get into disre-
pair, or rely on taxation to make up the
deficit. as done on the government lines
of India
The most serious considerations are,
however. Mr.. Ripley SAYS. political ones.
| There are $50 600 railway employees in
the United States. Under government
| ownership each of these would be po-
| litical appointee These, he said would
not only lower the character Of the
service. but would he appalling in the
tremendous political supremacy which
those $50 900 employees would give to the
party in power" Who can tell what
would be the political results of the
| contracts for new lines. etc? The
scandals and iobbery of the river and
| harbor appropriations, or the tariff.
| would be nothing compared to the field
| which would open to the spoilsmen by
| the railways. The building of new lines
would depend entirely on political pull.
| Districts or states of "A political com
| plexion opposed to that of the party in
power would have to wait till the crack
of doom for any new lines. and in dis
| tricts where the friends of the admins
| tration came from there would be lines
as thick as stripes on cats back.