Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-22
OUTLOOK FOR PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.

The history of governmental and mu-
nicipal ownership of public utilities, as
1T has operated in Europe. h,,s been in.
dustriously studied by Albert Watkins,
who presents the results of hls'inquiries
in the October Forum. together with an
estimate of the prospects OF such ex-
amples being initiated in America.
The present tendency in the leading
countries of the world seems to be to-
ward the general public ownership of
railways. tho the adoption of such a
policy by Great Britain and the United
States Is perhaps far in the future. In
both of these countries there is the tre-
mendous obstructive political influence
of the railway companies themselves to
deal with. And tho Great Britain has
the most democratic constitution of any
of the great powers, and her policies
respond more freely to public opinion
than Is the case in any of the other
great countries. yet her institutions
and policy include contradictions and
Inconsistencies which her traditional
conservatism or inertia leaves undis-,
turbed in their homogeneous democratic
setting. In the United States we have
inherited this same slownes's of polit :
ical growth, and 1t is favored by our
obstructive written constitution. which
is characterized by the Hamilton fore
thought of hindering legislation or
amendment to the extent. 1t may be
feared. of hindering healthy progress
Moreover, by the prevailing test of
expediency. 1t does not follow that be-
cause the wide-open policy of munici-
pal trading may be good in Great Brit
ain, or because the public ownership
of railways is excellent for Belgium or
Persia, these systems would be equally
good for the United States. Nor does
I 1t follow that IL the state operation OF
the postoffice in this country Is efficient
| or popular, therefore the state opera
ton of the railways Is also desirable.
For while paternalistic or military
like establishment of certain size.
such as the postoffice department, is
practicable and inoffensivt in this
country and Great Britain, vet the im-
mense and complex organization of the
same character which the public own
ership of the railways would involve.
and which Is necessary, iiloffensiye.
and practicable in military country
like Prussia, might be offensive and
altogether impracticable in the more
democratic English speaking countries.
| In these countries this question will
doubtless be long considered AS that of
a choice of the lesser of two evils, with
L the odds against the evil we know. not
of.
But I think that, according; to the
present evolution of the social organic
| alton, there will be a growth of public
confidence and courage whlchiwill ulti-
mately overcome the present somewhat
| oyerbalancing public opinion that our
government, which is representative of
the whole public. is neither honest nor
| otherwise efficient enough to undertake
| safely so gigantic an enterprise as the
ownership and operation of the rail-
ways. Public sentiments s no longer dis
| mayed at the financial feature Of the
undertaking. Recent colossal capital
liaztion of railway and other industrial
combinations by very small part Of
the whole people has swept away this
Ionce formidable objection, just as the