The Tucson citizen., 1902-02-06
GOVERNMENT AND RAILROADS.

under the name of the Northern
Securities Company, is quoted in a
New York dispatch printed in the Los
Angeles Herald as saying:
Some persons have made the point
that the Government OF the United
States should take over all the rail
roads after they have been brought as
closely together as possible. For our
part. we would be willing TO turn over
to the Government the securities or all
;he roads we control on the same terms
On which the Government now buys
its own bonds,
Government ownership of railroads
has been advocated by a certain ele-
ment of the people for number OF
wears. Events in the industrial world
are moving so rapidly that II is i'm
possible to foreteu what may occur
in the near future. One of the chief
dangers Of the great combinations of
capital is that the effect may be to
lodge too much power in the hands OF
A few If to avert this great danger
the Government should acquire pos
session of the railroads and undertake
10 operate them it would put too much
mower in the hands of the Government.
The time may come when ii will be
necessary for the people to make
choice between these evils, and many
who have been equally determined
against both combines and Govern
ment ownership may be driven to ad-
yocate the latter as the lesser evil.
But it must not be forgotten that
the Government is managed and dir
eoted by individuals. just as the great
corporations are. 1t may be that from
time to time the men who have their
hands upon the helm of the ship OF
State are as selfish, greedy and amDi-
tious as those at the head of some or
the corporations are supposed to be-
Sometimes they are the same men.
Stephen b. F kins. a railroad owner.
is chairman of the committee in the
United States Senate that has 5urisdic-
ton of railroads Samuel J. Tliden de-
clared as long ago as 1875, that 1t
would require the efforts Of two-thirds
OF the people to dislodge an admin
stration intrenched behind the breast
works of the Federal patronage, Add
to the present overwhelming power OF
the Federal Government the power
which would come from the control
of railroads and the voters they en-
ploy. the President would speedily be-
come as autocratic as the Gar. He
could dictate the election Of Senators
and Representatives. in Congress, and,
having the appointment OF the judges,
he could concentrate in his own per-
son all three department Of the Gov
ernment-executive, legislative and
judicial President Grant, it is well
known, desired to be elected third
time. If he had possessed control OF
the railroads there is no reason to
doubt that he could have commanded
not only a third term but an indefinite
number of terms if he so desired.
On the other hand what have the
reople to fear from the giant corpora
ton such as the railroad combine re-
Gently organized by J. Pierpont Nor
gan and James J. Hill? 1t is the pos
duals. Heretofore each railroad has
been curbed by competition. But com
petetion is practically thing Of the
past The State cannot keep the rail
road combine under control, because
the power of the State is weakness
compared with the power of the giant
it has created. The corporation over
powers the State or Territory just
the Philistincs of Timnath got The bet
ter Of Sampson. They plOw with the
peoples herfcrs. Tie member or tnt
LEGISLATURE or Assembly. or Cuy Coun-
I'll must do the bidding of the cor
ruration or feel its power when elec-
ton time comes again.
II Is u grim battle between the peo-
pie and the giants which looms up il
The future and the problem is knottS
one Anyone can demand antitrust
laws. But. even with the best inten'
tons. how Is a. Legislature to pass q
law to prohibit man from buying g
majority OF the stock Of two railroad:
and of directing both of them? How
is the Legislature of any State, much
less Territory, to prevent the State oI
New Jersey or the Territory of Ari'
zona from chartering a corporation
with a capital stock of $400, ,000,0 ,00(