Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-10-17
FREDERICK VPHAM~ IDA


ederick Upham Adams
:~*7s - @s.' = g. -
the collection and distribution Of the
mails there should be one general sys-
tenn for the collection aud distribution
Of freight and for the carrying of pas
sengers, All farseeing railroad men
and dnanc1ers realize that this is fact
beyond dispute. Men like Morgan and
Carnegie also are aware that the Amer
tcan people will not permit private in
/: terestB" to own or operate such aemo-
,nopoly. They arc frank enough tozsay
- publicly, +, q * ~,
F.. 1T will be bold experiment If ever
undertaken" declared Judge Sawyer.
II fail to see the experimental fea-
ture, :" ASSERTED Colonel Monroe. You
| speak as IL this wore the first time the
subject ever presented itself to peo-
pie. You ignore the fact that half or
nearly half of tho railway mileage of
the world is now owned and operated
By governments. The United States
and Great Britain are the only first
class nations which yet permit the pr1-
vate ownership Of railroads. Repub-
lican France and Switzerland control
the means Of transportation. 1t is only
few years since the railroads Of
Switzerland wero In private hands.
Her people were confronted by the
same problem that now faces US, but
they had no, difficulty in purchasing
the lines and are now operating them
to the satisfaction of all concerned. In
Germany. Austria. Holland. Italy, Swe-
den. Norway and Russia nearly all of
the railroads arc owned by the re-
specdve governments. In each OF these
great countries the official at the head
Of the department of railways ranks
high az. a cabinet member. They con-
slider a railroad as much of an asset
of the government as any other road
or highway. and why shouldn't they7
"Where is tho experfmentT contin-
ued the colonel. Russia is building
across Siberia the grandest railway
| system in the world. England is inter-
lacing India with government rail-
roads. Germany is building and buy
ing railroads. Canada, to our north,
owns 1900 miles Of railroad and is
building more. And despite these facts
and the additional one that in every
instance government ownership is q
success, all denials to the contrary not
w1thstanding. most Of our citizens be-
lfeve that the experiment of a national
| rQ3lr0o6 hoo vet f0 no y,oodo A. uook
ter Of fact our government has operat-
ed thousands Of miles of railways and
done SO successfully"
when, I should like to know" de-
manded Postmaster Jenkins. I'm sure
I never heard Of it." =
During tho rebellion" replied the
colonel.
THAT was q war measure and should
not count" objected Judge Sawyer
1T established precedent neverthe-
less" continued Colonel Monroe "But
I will give you more recent and more
practic instances of national opera
ton Of American railways. Within
the last twenty years thousands Of
miles Of railroad have been Offered
and managed by our federal courts.
One example should suffice. The Wa
bash railroad went into bankruptcy. It
passed into the control of Judge Gres-
ham. afterward secretary of state I'M
der President Cleveland. In less than
five years Judge Gresham rescued this
property from Insolvency and restored
it intact to its former owners. Here is
an example Of successful government
control and operation under the most
unfavorable circumstances"
'There is force in your argument"
admitted Judge Sawyer, "but 1 yet
hold that it would be a wide departure
from our established national policy to
purchase old roads or to build new
ones"
,"You have right to your opinion,
but let me call your attention to one
contemporaneous precedent" said Colo
mel Monroe as he rose to go. II have
not heard you enter any protest against
the Panama canal. No party or faction
has gone on record against the idea
that our government should spend hum
dreds of millions of dollars in building
and equipping that canal. You are
afraid that the government has no
right to purchase. construct or operate
railroads for the exclusive benefit of its
citizens, menaced, as they are, by an
acknowledged monopoly. You hesitate
to adopt the only possible remedy for
fear you will strain some precedent.
And yet you do not raise your voice in
protest or see anything out of the way
in the proposition that our government
should pay millions for. lease of a
strip Of land ON the edge of another
continent, that it should pay to French
+ stockholders. $40, OOO, 900 for their inter
sst in an unsuccessful venture and that
It should be. ready to spend hundreds
81 millions for the completion of q
method of transportation which must
largely depend for. it's success on the
patronage Of foreign shipping. You
d6ubt If your government can put q
spade into its own soil for the benefit
; J<NH &&s u