Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-03-07

80
ton and homes.
Second. That our laws shall provide
that the government through COM
missions shall examine every invention
to determine it's public benefit, and
when useful pay the inventor to make
it public property for all to use, and
not to be monopolized by the syndi-
Gates. This would not retard inven-
tons or bankrupt the treasury or in
crease the sale price of the invented
article.
No harm or disarrangement could
come from this except to the syndi-
cate class. ii.
Third. That instead of granting
ship subsidies to Hill, Morgan, Rookie
Teller and Hanna, for ships to be OWN
ed and controlled by them with no
supervising power or control over the
ships by congress after they are built.
that, instead Of this, congress shall
retain the ship subsidy money, and
out of it, build and operate these ships
entirely. This would not take a dol
lar from the treasury more than what
it is urged congress shall donate to
this syndicate.
Fourth. That to expend money to
acquire land and build elevators at
terminal points like Duluth, Buffalo
and Chicago to be managed by govern
ment employees, which is proposed in
our platform, and is as necessary to
commence as the expenditure to build
the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, and
to appropriate to improve harbors and
rivers.
Fifth. Railroads. The experience
Of European countries has demonstrat-
ed government ownership and opera
ton of railroads to be a success and
demonstration is better than theory and
private ownership and operation of
them has demonstrated it so far as the
public is concerned to be a failure.
This is more potent than theory.
It is conceded by many who do not
believe in the other provisions in u
platform that we should purchase the
railways or build others. The Her
aid almost comedies this must be done
sometime. Are we not as we'll pre-
pared to enter upon that this year as
later.
The sooner we undertake this public
ownership movement the cheaper these
railways car be duplicated or pur-
chased. ~
Steel and wood are the chief ma
~terials in building and keeping in re-
pair railways, needing coal and iron
ore to make the steel and forests for
the ties. Four years ago steel rails
were made and sold for SIT a ton,
and Carnegie was then accommodating
a fortune. The government now owns
it's own mines of coal and iron ore,
and can make steel as cheaply as Car
negie was four years ago, and making
money before the trust was formed,
when they sold steel rails at SIT a
ton at profit and every species of hard
ware at about one-half of present cost.
Our platform provides that we shall
commence on trunk lines and follow
up with others later. A direct Trunk
Line from Boston by New York and
Philadelphia to San Francisco is about
1000 miles. Another direct Trunk
Line from Chicago to Mobile is less
than 1000 miles. Add 5000 miles for
lateral branches to all chief cities
within a range of 200 and 300 miles
of these two trunks and the whole
makes but 10000 miles. Expense.
Now take a mile of expense of con-
struction, 1923 tons of the heaviest
rails makes a mile. -Four years ago
these were sold at SIT a ton. Total
for rails, $2,O91. Fish plates and
spikes then cost 5000 a mile. Three
thousand ties at 35 cents each, $1,000
Grading and laying track, $500 tc
$1,000 a mile. Total, $$4,941 per mile
on the level, or $%49,41O,OO0 for 10000
, miles. Add $5O,OOO,O0O for cuts, fills
bridges, right Of way and $5O,000,O0(
more for depots and rolling stock, and
we have but a $3.50, 900, and VIZ
have a trunk line equipped from oceaI
to ocean and from lakes to the Gull
with lateral branches to every promi.
nent city. What a revenue producer
. and protector to the people. Does any
man know that the proposed ships
subsidy bill would take less than this
in the end from the federal treasury
: Has not the Philippine Islands al
; ready cost us double this sum witt
no accruing benefits as yet. witt
even this 10000 miles of trunk rail
ways we could reach one-third of al
with coal as proposed in our platform
at cost of mining and transportation
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