Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-05-24
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP NAV De
TINE NEXT ISSUE.

lUe WeAV sSSOes
Joseph H. Cal, OF Los Angeles said
to The Journal today that all Cali |
fornis, and the country west OF the
mountains, Ia In favor Of government
ownership OF railways, and would 80
vote If it had 40 opportunity. he
saws this sentiment has been develop.
ed not alone because the west thinks
government owne, ship 10 desirable In !
itself, but because that section ID con-
WINGED that it can never secure salts
factory legislation fcom the senate.
Mr.. Call also notes rapid develop
ment in favor Of government owner
ship In the middle west, where he is
we'll known. He believes If the senate,
a. body, follows the policy mapped
out by It's c )mmittee on Interstate
commerce in the hearings. govern
ment ownership will . >ou become q
national issue w ash.ngton Cores
pondent Of Minneapolis Journal.
Well, we'll, what is this country
coming to? Can it be possible that q
majority Of the people In the west ave
becoming crazy? That was what the
old party papers and speakers said
the populists were when they i'd
yocated government ownersh p Of
railroads. Now We frequently see old
party papers acknowledge that govern
ment ownership may become . neces-
sity If no other means Of controlling
the railway corporations can be found.
Others, who are not willing IS yet to
20 that far, boldly advocate that the
government shall have the power to
fix rates, which is supposed to be .
prerogative OF ownership. With the
party bars let down the house passed
such q bill at the last session. The
senate of course hung it up. But
Wishing to get some sort OF excuse for
it's action, it appointed railroad
committee to sit during the recess and
obtain al possible Information or
misinformation)t THAT might be obtain.
able, to use as argument against the
bill when it comes up again. Rail.
road presidents and attorneys have
been called in to give their views on
the subject, and OF course they have
done all in their power to assist the
committee in arriving at the con-
clusion it was appointed to arrive at.
There was one notable exception,
however. President Stickney of the
Great Western Railway boldly de.
AIRED that it would be the proper
thing to have government body with
the power of fixing rates. This un-
expected bomb created quite . stir,
and will probably lead to . private
examination of Witnesses in the future
before they are place on the stand be-
fore the committee.
1t is very evident that there will be
open war between the president and q
majority of the house on one side and
the supreme lodge of the order o.
amalgamated corporations, otherwise
known 40 the United States senate
Roosevelt has unequivocally demand
ed the passage of such a measure
He has the backing of the house, the
democrats standing.by him almost It
= man, and even the majority Of thu
republicans supporting him. The senate
has the power of blocking the desired
legislation, and will probably do So
unless they can devise some means o.
rendering the measure innocuous, IS
they did with the Reagan bill some
years ago. Then what will happen:
It ia hard to foretell II Roosevelt Is
the man the people believe him to be
he will not lay down his arms, blu,
will carry the fight into the Legislative
elections next year, to insure the re
tirement of those railroad senator's
whose terms expire. They could be
beaten in most IL stances, for the peo,
pie when reused are irresistible.
This might not retire majority Of
the railroad employees from the senate,
but the remaining ones would be
taught q lesson that would probably
induce them to vote right. 1t il doubt
full il this would secure for the people
just and equitable rates, for the rail.
roads would still have their creates.
bulwark, the supreme court. But II
would ~ least establish the standing
of tho railroads a. public utilities,
subject to government control, and il
that proved insufficient it would be
only one step more to governmen,
ownership
Should the railroads triumph in the