Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1899-01-26
THURSDAY, JAN. 26, 1893.
Government MANAGEMENT Is
the CostlieSt.

From nearly all the counties Of
Kentucky that made the turnpikes
free OF toll come complaints Of the
miserable condition of the once good
to fine turnpike roads.
IL is too early yet to pass final
judgment upon the free-turnpike pol
Icy. But there are some facts, plain
ly foreseen by all thoughtful people
who 1mpartially considered the sub
ject when il was first preached, that
will be proved-in fact, are being
proved-beyond question. One Of
these facts is that a county will not
keep the roads in as good repair as
the companies that owned and man.
aged them at anything near the same
cost to the people. Another fact is
that a county will not make the re-
pairs promptly as they are needed.
From observation of what goes on
constantly in all governmental mat
tiers, whether town, county, State or
national, everybody ought to know
that the public business is the cost
Hest and worst managed Of all bust
ness. One cause is the public business
being everybody's business is consid-
cred too often nobody's business.
Tso many people that respect ordi-
nary private property rights have
little or none for corporation rights
and for public property and the whole
peoples rights therein. Government
al property and the public treasury
are considered legitimate prey. Time
and again does one hear it stated by
some frank goods-box philosopher
that he considers it legitimate to beat
q city hotel and a railroad because
they are run by souliess corporations,
and he will add that IL he had q
chance with Uncle Sam he would
feather his nest to the utmost the
opportunity afforded. The disciples
assembled about him acquiesce, or
ut least you never hear q dissenting
opinion, showing that such senti-
ments are far too common.
Another reason for bad manage
ment Of public business is that the
people asa rule choose for officers the
hest politicians. 1t may be that the
officers are good business men also,
buta good politician without business
qualifications will in nearly every
contest defeat the good business mar
IMMERSED In politics or unwilling to
practice the politicians arts. This
is more especially true in district or
State elections.
la view OF these facts II is singular
that there is such a tendency to put
into the hands of some division of
the government all sorts of business
IS that are well managed by private
individuals or corporations. The pos
tai business is usually cited as q
proof that the Government does such
things better than private corpora
tons. II . corporation managed q
vast business no better than the DOS
tai business is managed that corpor-
alton would quickly bankrupt itself.
The postal business is not self-sus-
tanning. but requires a deficit to be
made mp every year from other rev.
enues. The sale Of stamps and post
oil cards for letters, or first-class mail.
60 far towards supporting the cost of
the other classes of mail matter.
Were it not for that letter postage
could be reduced fifty or seventy-five
per cent. That shows bad and costly
manage ment. Every class of mail
should bear its proportion Of the cost
Of forwarding. That would be Just
and eminently proper. But it seems
almost impossible to secure the leg
islation by Congress- that will enable
the postal department to be reorgan-
lied and run on such business prin-
ciples. The postal business has long
been Government monopoly. All
the Postmasters General realize the
defects Of the system and try to have
the more glaring ones relnedied, but
meet steadily with failure because
dcma ,ogy or the influence, Of the