The independent., 1903-04-30
pREJUp1cEp PROFESSORS

PREF JUDGED PROFkSSOhS
There are no set of men so unre-
liable outside of their specialties as
college professors. When engaged in
their own line and governed by the
ordinary rules of scientific investiga-
tion, they are trustworthy and relia-
BILE, but the moment they leave that,
they seem to go wild and throw rea-
son and evidence to the winds. Hugo
r. Meyer of Harvard university gave
an exhibition of that kind OF Wild
ness last week in an address before
an audience of business men in Bos-
tonson the government ownership OF
railroads. He said that Germany's ex-
perience in the government ownership
of railroads was colossal failure,
and that in face of the recent report
of Consul General Mason Of Berlin,
which is printed and circulated by the
government at Washington. The con-
sui general says that state ownership
of railroads in Germany has been 'an
unquestionable success" and adds:
'In 1890 the revenues OF the
state railways exceeded expendi-
lures by SOL ,000, GOO marks ($1l9,-
238,OO0), and this surplus in
creased to 751,O00,0O0 marks
($17S,73S,O00 in 1899. Under the
depressed conditions of last year
the surplus earnings fell away
somewhat seriously, but the rail-
way still are and will remain a
secure and important source Of
revenue to the state"
The professor ignored the fact that
the Prussian government is taking
over five new lines which have been
in private hands, which it is not like
ly that it would do if its efforts in
state ownership had been colossal
failure But that was not the worst
of his vagaries. He went on to ar
que that free competition had made
the railroads success in this country
and was the only ground for hope in
railroading Did not that professor
know that there had never been, new
er will be and never can be compet1-
ton in railroading? Had he never
heard of the combination to destroy
competition that had been entered in
to by the Pennsylvania, the Great
Northern, the Vanderbilt lines and
scores of others? A professor when
he gets away from his own speciality
can make a more ridiculous ass OF
himself than any other sort OF a man
in America.
Morgan seems to have passed his
zenith His ship trust securities are
down to 81, his steel stock to about ~
and his last attempt at combination
in street car lines at Chicago has been
an absolute failure. On top OF that,
it is reported from Europe that most
of the millions that he has invested
in art treasures there are wasted. His
great origina, paintings, for some OF
which he paid over 100000, are frauds
and reproductions and not the gen.
uine thing at all.
f.. SSScsSSS
Special agent of the United States
department of labor, William S.
Waudby, says that child labor has in
creased in the factories 100 per cent in
the last ten years and that at present
there are 100000 children between
the ages of ten and fifteen years at
work in mines and factories of the
United States. These children are de-
prived of education and dwarfed in
mind and body SO that they can never
become efficient citizens. That is what
the worship of Mammon has done.
The Independent will never cease de-
nouncing it. 1t is thousand times
worse than the black slavery that ex-
listed before the civil war.
SS$SS>&