The independent., 1905-08-24
65s Nebrasko Independent
PAGE Q


hauled and that this lowers per mile Taking
consideration the traffic Of this country and the advan
tage just mentioned though wage scale be high,
evident that freight charges should be much lower than Eu
ropean freight charges.
But Mr. Gordon may wish to know whether is not true
that railroads give the people half high the
could afford give it owned the roads The
why freight in instances much higher in
Europe than in the United States have been pointed
mains point why the government could afford
make lower the United States than made by
the transportation companies The government would operate
the roads obtain profits it would operate them for the
Of the people The government would be
santy pouring into stock and would not find it necessary
charge a the traffic will BEAR" which is the present policy Of
the railways The government would give rebates favored
shippers and be compelled higher shippers gen
eral that It would give free passes thousands
Of public officials and private citizens connected with the
railway service and would therefore not make up the losses
passenger traffic OF the freight traffic The government would
maintain expensive lobbies and corruption funds would
be competition traffic Competition secure
traffic about the only kind of competition that in
the railway business The roads seldom compete the of
rates. but they continue compete for business considerable
They maintain expensive advertising bureaus and
poy thousands Of agents whose duty ferret business and
for the roads they represent Under the changed cond
on it would be possible for the government charge lower
than charged by private companies.
The relative merits Of the Boston railways and the
railways Of Glasgow unknown The Independent Mr. Da
rmp the Scotch expert who has general supervision Of the
Glasgow transit syem toeraby proud of the Glasgow
railways when he visited the United States few months ago.
The celebrated axom hat government is best which governs
least, 1he ideal which
the good of the greatest number secured by the ewe
laws When such golden has been obtained it is useless
to increase the number of laws
The purport of the question be this Would the
be governing much if they owned their public u
ties Would this not be paenalism would it not be nterfe
ing with private enterprise?
Paernaism something abhorrent to Jefferson and the
democrats of his day. The democracy of the day. however,
has somewhat modified its view Of paternam Where private
enterprise possible and where nues the good the whole
people well the good of the individual paternasm is OBJ
jectonabe But where private enterprise mmanages natural
monopoly the public made suffer for the benefit
dvidal Such condition inoeabe If such natural monopo-
lies be better managed by than by private
it the duty OF take possession of these
nopole These potent persuading the United
States government manage its postal SYSTEM which APP
parnty natural monopoly and they will yet lead the govern
establish parcels post system and take possession of
the transportation, telegraph and telephone lines.
NATIONS SINISTER
AT the reciprocity conference Chicago laughter