The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-14
MAGUIRE'S LIVERY-sTABLE PLAN.


ways Judge Mcguire omits any statement OF the
change that in the cost of travel and trans
portation when they changed from wagon-ways to
railways. The wagon-roads as public highways lett
travel and transportation to unlimited compeutioii
and yet as population stretched westward from the
Atlantic and increased and the volume OF transporta
! ton rose with it, there lowering OF rates.
From the Atlantic States to the CisMssour1 region
when every man could put coach or wagon on the
highway and haul freight passengers the rates
were always and everywhere high Sporadically
new opposition line would cut, like Exra-bllly onth
in Virginia and the Great Western Stage Company in
the Northwest, when it put on opposition TO Frnk
and Walker but soon rates would rise to their former
level again Water transportation took the same
course. When traffic went by lake and river sixty
years ago it was carried at rate that would appali
the shipper now. Yet lake and river were open 10
any company that wanted to put on Doat'
just as Judge Mcguire his livery stable rail-
| roads open to any that has locomotive and car.
Land and water rates, under his system OF IN
divdua competition, so high that II re1nstateo
they would be an actual embargo commerce
The Judge avoids telling the whole truth, that the
first abatement of rates came with the appearance OF
| RAILWAYS under corporate ownership and operation
There is room for warrantabe doubt that II railroad
! ing had begun on his livery stable plan such de-
crease in rates would have followed. 1t the 1ndl-
vidual competition in vogue on the wagon-road had
been merely transferred to another kind OF highway
| it is very questionable whether would have pro-
crossed as rapidly in method and kind of railway con-
struction
MANY States formerly owned railroads and some
tried to operate them. The result was that progress
was slow tracks defective and corporate enter
prise proved much progressive and satisfac-
tory that State ownership ceased. With it the strap
rail gave way to the iron, and iron to STEEL and
construction enterprises were undertaken and
complshed that would not yet be even proposed if
left to the public inertia.
The Government invents nothing and is slow to
utilize the work of private individuals in that line.
We fought the Mexican War with fintlock guns,
though the percussion cap had been invented with the
changed mechanism of the lock required for its
Jeff Davis equipped his Mississippi Tigers" not at
the Government expense with rifles of the pattern
made in Connecticut, and that gave to the long rifle
its of "the Mississippi rife" 1t is exactly that
Commercial instinct" to which Judge Mcguire
trusts the successful working of his livery stable
scheme that outstripped anything the Government
attempted in railroading, and made it the greatest
business speciality of the century. All of the writers
the theory of Government entering into business
agree that it would be unlikely to economically uti
lie the accumulation of individual experience or
project along the line of progress from what is.
1t should be sufficient answer to his plan for Gov
crnment ownership of all public utilities that Gov
never, anywhere, renders the public like
service cheapy well as the individual The
Government operation of the posoice is often cited
proof that it can successfully conduct business.
But the evidence is contradictory of the fact that it
is intended to establish The Government sends let
tiers mile the continent for cents post
age, and it is called cheap But it takes IFS letters
on the average, to make pound, so that we pay
81 so pound for carrying letters whether they go
from San Francisco to Oakland or to New York
while the railroads carry the dried fruits of California
to New York for I cent pound and make some
money while the Government makes annual postal
deficiency for which Congress has appropriate out
of the treasury.
If the railroads charged much for shipping raj
sins as the Government for shipping letters, not a
raisin could leave the vineyard. Surely its adj
ninistration of the postofce justes hope that
give cheaper and better service in the admins
traton of all public utilities? 1t cannot be claimed
that there inheres in Government any special bus
mess genius that succeed where all other Govern
ments fail Many European Governments own rail
ways, but not gives good cheap service
as we get in this country under railroad system
evolved from the business instincts of our people.
st MARY'C PAPK