Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-05-25
The BEST Government
That Nearest the People and
Controlled by Them.
BRYAN ON PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.
Relieves h Nations Future De.
mands Government Operation of
Natural MOnOpolies-Theory In In
Accord With Democratic pr,,o.,

Accord With Democratic princinIa.
While in Buffalo recently Mr.. Will
liam Jennings Bryan was interviewed
by the st. Louis POST Dispatch, in the
course Of which he gave his views on
the railroad and municipal ownership
questions.
Mr.. Bryan denied that the growth of
municipal ownership is tending toward
Socialism, claiming that the dividing
line between Democracy and Socialism
is clearly drawn when the government
undertakes to own only those bust
nesses between which competition is
impracticable or impossible, leaving
all competitive enterprise to individual
effort and ownership.
What is your attitude on the rail-
road question: he was asked.
Il am a believer in the doctrine that
all corporations created by govern
ment should be controlled by govern
ment when it becomes necessary to
protect the people against injustice.
Fundamentally the principle is that
the people cannot through law create
anything stronger than the creator"
do you hold that there is an essen
tial difference between corporations
between those which should be owned
by government and those which should
be merely CONTROLLED"
eyes; there is a line which should be
drawn between public and private cor
porations. The railroad comes under
the head of public corporations. Some
say it is a quasi public charter, and it
relies on it's private nature when the
people want anything from it.
But first let me distinguish between
what are called municipal corporations
and those operated in a larger sphere.
1t Is impossible to have real competi-
ton between corporations operated un-
der a municipal franchise-that is, be-
tween street railways, water or light
companies or telephone lines. These
things are private monopolies. Believ-
ing that a private monopoly is indie
feasible and i%ntolerable, as declared
in the Kansas City platform, I hold
that all these public utilities should be
owned and operated by the city gov
eminent"
"Do you regard that as Socialism,"
"Everything that the government IN
dertakes can be considered socialistic
in II sense. The postofice depart
ment is socialistic in that the state is
1ninp cnnonthinr uyhioh n1i1,i1,1o1c 11oo1
to do. The police department is So
cialistic because the republic is furnish
ing protection which the individual for
merly furnished for himself.
II take it that the best place to draw
the line between that which is socialis-
tic and that described as Individuals
tic is at the point where competition
ceases. The Socialist believes that
competition is a destructive force and
should be eliminated by the public own
ership and operation Of all the means
Of production and distribution.
""The Democratic position, as I un-
derstand it, is that competition is es-
sential rather than injurious and should
be preserved.
wherever competition is impossible
and monopolistic the fruits of the mo-
nopoly, according to Democratic prin-
ciples, should be enjoyed by the whole
people and not by the privileged few.
"It is entirely Democratic, therefore,
to advocate public ownership and op-
GRAFTON of municipal franchises. The
recent victory in Chicago for municipal
ownership under Democratic leader
sentiment.
GAS to railroads the question is not
so clear, because public opinion has not
advanced so far. 1 believe that public
opinion will ultimately support the doc.
trine of public ownership Of railroads.
AS it takes time for public sentiment
to crystalline on any proposition, it is
not safe to predict how soon the PEG.
pie will be ready for public ownership
Of railroads, but there is no doubt that
the consolidation of railroad systems
and the obstruction Of legislation look.
ing to the regulation Of rates are con-
stantly increasing the sentiment in ia.
vor of public ownership.
The term public ownership may be
used to describe municipal ownership
of municipal ~monopolies and the state
ownership of public utilities within q
state as we'll as the national ownership
Of utilities national in their character.
Believing, as I do, that the safety OF
the republic depends on the recognition
Of the doctrine Of local self government
and believing that the government
ought to be best when nearest the PEG
pie and most easily controlled by
them, I prefer to see the local rail
roads owned by the state and onl!
trunk lines owned by the federal gov
eminent.
~ believe that one local line owned
by the state would do more to regulate
rates within the state than any amour
of legislation and that n trunk lin
from New York to San Francisco. witt
branches to the various distributing
centers, would do more to regulate IN
terstate rates than any amount OF rat
legislation.
u1 ~ rlol tbot praSidaut Roosevelt