The Advocate and news., 1898-03-16
rlr. Ripley and Government Owner
ship of Railroads.
G. W. BADGER.

The railroads have, until of late years,
been called public enterprises Now, IL
they are public enterprises, why has not
the government a right to operate all
such enterprises in the interest Of all Of
the people, instead Of Presidents of said
lines and In the interest Of private bond
holders? If the government troops and
courts can be called on to operate and COM
pei employees to work on private owned
nnes, why In the name OF common sense
cannot the government operate the lines
IN the interest of all the people?
President Ripley, of the Santa Fe, re-
Gently said that there Is only one way in
Whlch the government could come into
possession of the railroad properties, viz,
py purchase at reasonable price. Then
ne goes on to say the railroads are va
ri0usly estimated at from six billions to
fifteen billions Of dollars. Now, It al
ways seems queer how 1t worries these
managers Of railroad property about the
government being able to get the where
with to purchase said lines When q
railroad company starts to put O. road
across the country and happens to come
across farmer who refuses to sell or give
has 1t appraised and the farmer has to
submit to the terms; If he objects he is
put in the pen until after the road is
built-then he is turned loose, but the
road Is all right and In operation. Now,
as the railroads inaugurated that way Of
doing business for the people, why not
work it that way in the interest OF ali
the people? And, II is not necessary for
the government to own all Of the lines
at once-only one or two east and west
lines across the continent and two, three
or four north and south lines, and the re-
naming roads would have to come down
and run at decent rate of interest, at
least on the actual cash invested.
Why Is 1t that as soon as the Presidents
and general managers have bankrupted O.
road they turn It over to the government
to put them back on a Doodle running ba-
sis? IL the government can put q road in
good shape after the earnings have been
stolen Systematically for years and the
employees have had their wages reduced
ana the rolling stock and roadbed have
been allowed to run down, it seems queer
to those who happen to know something
about the ways of railroads that the goV-
ernment could not take a good road and
Keep 1t IN good repair and pay good wages
and fair dividends, too.
Will President Ripley explain why It is
Lnat the government runs behind In the
P0stof11ce department? If he doesn't know
Ill tell him. The government charges
rent for the mail cars yearly one-thlrd
Of what they first cost; then they charge
: cents per pound for hauling the mail
During the time the mail is being weighed
the railroads send folders, bills, advertis-
lGng matter and SO forth, and the United
states has to pay cents per pound for It.
After the weighing is done the mail matter
over the lines suddenly gets lighter but
the companies hold the government up
TO the fun amount yearly of what II
weighed when the government was testing
the weight Of the mail.
AS to the passenger rates, a neighbor of
mine has just returned from a visit to
Germany. He says there are four rates OF
passenger fare: Fourth class, Is miles for
u cents; third class, Is miles for "a cents
second class, Is miles for 80 cents; first
class, Is miles for 48 cents. Passenger
trains were run every four hours Now,
I1f an4n ~ -.
people have an equal interest," does It not
stand to reason that they will see that
they all receive equal benefits, and that |
they VIII all be interested in keeping the |
roling stock and bed I'm the best OF order? |
am not so smart as some men, not even !
Mr Ripley, but from June IA, 1890 until |
July !, 1894, J. was employed on the Union |
racing railway in Wyoming as engineer, |
an0 1 saw whole train loads OF stock |
1orses, sheep and cattle-turned over to