Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30

$500 SiiN
tanned in the commissions syllabus on
transportation, and not only railroad mana
gers and employees We're asked to give their
opinion on this question, but expressions on
it were given by a large humber of repre-
sentatlVes of labor organizations.
In order to throw light on this whole Gues-
ton of government ownership of railroads.
the Senate could do nothing better than to
call on the industrial commission for the
large number of expressions on this sub
Ject that were given before it in the form
of testimony, and which are scattered
through the mass of testimony now being
printed.
Labor Not Unit on the Subject.
That testimony shows that labor organi-
cations, railroad employees and others who
have appeared before the commission are
far from being unanimously in favor of
government ownership. The Federation of
Labor has not adopted the idea of public
ownership as one of its cardinal principles,
as have the Knights of Labor, and repre-
sentatives of various bodies composing
that greatest of labor declarations the world
has probably ever see expressed different
views the subject of public ownership
Mr. Sampuel Gompers. president of the
Federation of Labor, very plainly showed
his lack of interest in any legislation as
a means for improving the condition of
working men, and said he regarded or
ganiZed labor as fully capable of taking
care of the interests of working people in
the future. He rather favored public own
ership, but put no great stress upon it as
a means of improving the conditions of the
employees of these roads. Representatives
of the five brotherhoods of railroad en-
ployes lad no special stress on government
ownership
This lack of enthusiasm on the part of
many of these witnesses was not because
they did not approve the principle of public
ownership, but because they feared that
politics would interfere with the proper
management of the roads. The railway
labor organizations are so thoroughly sal
isfactory to the members that compose
them that they are not eager for change
of any kind. 1t is only the trackmen, the
least-paid and most irregularly employed
labor on the roads, that are not organized
satisfactorily, and efforts are being made to
do for them what has been done for other
classes of employees.
Officials Opposed.
Officials of the railroads themselves who
appeared before the industrial commission
did not favor government ownership
though number of them favored an extern
sion of the powers of the interstate COM
merce commission to secure additional gov
eminent supervision of these roads.
Several witnesses who complained to the
commission of railway rate Determinations
in the past, advocated government owner
ship of the roads as a prevention of such
determinations. Railway managers thought
more harm was to be feared from possible
favors given to favored sections of the
country through political influence than
has ever been experienced under private
ownership and management. Rates might
be in favor of sections of the country hav-
ing control Of the government, they feared.
One of the greatest sources of opposition
that would be met by any serious attempt
to have the railroads put under government
ownership would be on the part of those
who contend agatnst1any extension of the
power of the federal government within the
states. III 81
Experience With the Mails.
The greatest support of some policy for
placing the railroads in the hands of the
government comes from those who argue
from general principles and who quote the
experience of the government with the
Post Office Department as basis for their
belief that the railroads would best serve
the public and the 1000, 900 people who are
employed on them If they were owned by
the government. But the question is of
such importance that even conservative
advocates Of government ownership con-
slider that they have many years of advo-
cacy Of their ideas before they can hone
to have Congress enter seriously upon the
work of considering such legislation