Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1903-02-26
Government Ownership Of Rail
Roads. BY nENJ.G.WELcH.

NUoVSs ny HENJ.o. w LASlI.
1t is quite evident that the SULLI-
VAN REVIEW is not read in the Post
Office Department at Washington or
they would know better than put
out a statement that, with few ex-
ceptions, all the Post Offices show a
profit and they would never make
such blunder as to admit that the
Department is paying so well at two
cent letter postage that one cent
rate seems probable in the not re-
mote future. Editor Newell should
take steps to enlighten them before
any such colossal blunder is made.
Government ownership if not con-
stitutional now can be made so by
the people. The financing of the
purchase is no more difficult than
the financing of the United Steel
Corporations and really would be
much easier. No underwriting syn
dicate would be needed to guarantee
the acceptability of the government
obligations. The mental, mechan-
ical, scientific and financial ability
to handle the system is in this
country and is just as accessible to
the government. as it is to the corpo-
rations who now control the various
systems. Governmental positions
would lie more desirable than those
Of corporations.
The crucial difficulty is with the
people. If the intelligent voter will
not so to the polls, or will bind him
self hand and foot to party without
reference to the character of that
party, or will sell himself for a price
as SO many voters and officials have
have done to the machine that gov
erns Philadelphia and the machine
that governs the state legislature,
then we will admit that a serious
doubt arises about the wisdom of
government ownership and in this
is the only place where there is any
room for doubt.
With all the defects and faults of
the voter, whether he is christian
man himself or not, most of our cit
liens feel much better satisfied when
there is in the Presidential chair
man in whose christianity all the
country has faith. This has never
been more fully proven than now
and the whole country breathes
freer in the daytime and sleeps
at night'with greater confidence be-
cause we all know that we have for
a President a man who believes in
Divine law and lives by it.
Socialism is here to stay. 1t has
forced changes and will force some
Others. Its greatest mistake is that
its most earnest leaders think that
it must be part of their principles
to revile christianity and christian
people, but that will cure itself when
christion people begin to understand
that they have been somewhat mis-
taken in the past and begin to learn
new lessons.
There is no fact more clearly un-
derstood to-day than that our
churches have either let the laboring
millions drift away from them or
else the churches have drifted away
from the toiling millions. Persistent
investigators are working day and
night at the facts and conditions of
this question. At no distant day
will the discovery be made that the
SO called "eXtremists' are not all
wrong and then will begin the social
and religious changes that will dem
Onstrate that God still rules in this
universe Notwithstanding that many
of us have been forgetting it,. 1t
is the "extremists" who bring pro-
gress and revolution. Conservatives
never do. They wake up after a
time and discover where they have
been slumbering and they find out
where the "extremists" are in the
right and so the conservatives then
join in and save the radicals from
themselves and ruin. Just this will
take place and when it does it MAY
be that social conditions will be Sc
changed that Government Owner.
ship will not be needed but if it is
part Of Divine Providence and i
needed the people will have becom,
educated up to it and they will as
sumo the problem and will carry il
to successful execution.
The unwise position taken by Mr..