Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1903-01-22
('roads ;, .z,,.e.rz.en.

After the writing of the Article for
lor last weeks paper the public was
informed through the leading dailies
that control of the Reading Railway
had passed to that of the Pennsyl-
vania r. r. Co. through purchase
of its stock by the Baltimore & Ohio
H. II. which the Penna. r. r. con-
trolls. 1t seems somewhat startling
to the average reader but we have
become so accustomed to such i'm
mense moves that the surprise lasts
only a few hours and then the news
becomes history and moves out Of
the way for something else to come
up. To railroad men it was not sur
prising at all. 1t was felt that some
such change was sure to come though
no one not in high counseIs could tell
just how it would be done.
The most peculiar feature of this
transaction is that it : imr,ed'- -
divided with the n. * Q :
Railroad indicating sery
large extent comp .o,on1s a a thing
of the past between these two inn
mense corporations. 1t would be
but a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS re-
suit if, within the next twelve
months, these powerful factors should
find some way to go farther than the
so called community of INTEREST,"
plan and actually pool all their issues.
Ofthe wisdom, skill and ability of the
staff that manages Penna. r. r. af-
fairs no one has any question. 1t is
likely that the hundred thousand
employees who, in this deal, pass un-
der the general direction of that
company are almost to man, wom-
an and child gratified with the
|change, because for years its policy
has been one of consideration and
kindness for its people. That the
public will be advantagsl is almost
certain because the ink on the news
paper pages was hardly dry before
schemes for betterment are under
consideration. Perhaps it may
reach Sullivan County, who knows.
While taking this optimistic view
of the situation we cannot be blind
to the fact that with the Penna. r.
r. and the New York Central r. r.
practically united the whole rail-
road interests of the United States
east of Chicago are under one con-
,trol and that control likely to CEN
trallize more and more closely as
time passes by. West of Chicago
there are now but three large inter-
ests and to unity them is probably
the next task.
In the south the traffic of the re-
gion south of the Ohio river and
east of the Mississippi is almost DOM
mated by the Southern Railway and
the Louisville & Nashville r. r.
and it is pretty well conceded that
the affairs of both can be directed
from one Wall street Office. That
these two will be merged in some
fashion in the very near future goes
without saying, though it may wait
for the cooperation or gathering in
of the Seaboard Line but it will not
wait long after that is accomplished,
and after the lawyers have found
way to evade the constitutional or
legal difficulties in few of the
states.
We notice that Editor Newell of
the Review seems to see the way
clear to deny the possibility of sue
cessful municipal ownership of pub
lie utilities in this country and any
where near our part of it. Per-
haps Chicago would be by him re-
garded as too far away to be factor
in the articles in the Item, but 1T is
less than day distant from us, and
out there the problem of tranporta-
tion by street cars and elevated rail-
roads under city management is
very seriously discussed and among
the quieter thinkers who do not say
so much, but are apt thinkers and
powerful "doers", it is beginning to
be conceded that the only solution is
in municipal ownership.
We need not go so far from home.
We are sure we do not have in our
county more careful reader Of dali
ly happenings than Editor Newell
and he has undoubtedly noted that
the Grand Jury in Brooklyn has ex-