Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-05-20
OWNING OF RAILROADS
Bryan Tells How the Govern.
 ment May Acquire Them. x

ment May Acquire Them. <, TWO METHODS ARE SUGGESTED Let the Federal Government Own
 the Trunk Lines, Says the Nebras-
 kan, aud the States own the Local Branohes-Dual system, He Claims, < ORers Several Advantages-Can Bs
 Inaugurated More Quickly.
 Public ownership of railways is thus treated by William J. Bryan in the Success Magazine for June: .
 The consolidation of railroads. the obstruction of rate legislation and the constant discrimination practiced by the railroads against persons and con- munitIes--all of these are tending to increase the number of those who ad- vocate the public ownership of rail roads. Usually those who favor the public ownership of railroads advocate ownership by the national government lin fact this is the only form of such ownership that has received attention. The arguments in favor of it have been much the same as those made in favor of municipal ownership of street car lines and other municipal works or plants, and the objections to 1t have been the same urged against those. with the addition that the federal own ership of railroads involves centrali xation of power at Washington, which might in the end result in the oblitera- tion of state lines.
 Those who insist upon the preserva- tion of state lines are not attempting to revive the discussion that once ragged over state sovereignty versus national supremacy, but they are actuated by the belief that local self government is the safety of the republic. Believing that the people can govern best where they are best acquainted with the con ditions to be met and the things to be done, those who defend state govern ment and state action believe that the republic is strengthened by the preser- vation of state lines, each state dealing with matters of state importance.
 The ownership of all the railroads of the United States by the national government would throw upon 1t the employment of an immense body of men, and these men could not be em- ployed from Washington without large ly increasing the relative importance of the federal government as com pared with the state government, and the removal of so large a part of gov ernment work from the states to the nation would weaken the states power of resistance to federal encroachment.
 A system of state ownership for the local network of railroads, coupled with the federal ownership of the trunk lines, would give all the advan- tages that could come from the federal ownership of all the railroad lines and at the same time avoid the centralizing tendency of undivided federal owner ship The trunk lines, when once own ed r,by the federal government would not have to be expanded or extended, while the local mileage is being con- stantly increased. A system of trunk lines established today would answer the purpose of interstate commerce flf- ty years hence. while the local mileage will probably be doubled. trebled or quadrupled during the next half cen tury.
 This dual system of public ownership offers several advantages, among which may be enumerated:
 First.-It can be inaugurated more quickly. Before all the railroads could be taken over by the federal govern ment 1t would be necessary to secure . president. a senate and a house of rep resentatives favorable to the plan, whereas state ownership can be at tempted whenever any state Is ready to make the experiment. For instance, Kansas, having decided to establish an oil refinery, may find it necessary to establish a railroad to carry the oil from the wells to the refinery and from the refinery to the distributing centers. Any state which finds it difficult to regulate railroad rates by legislation can try the efficacy of regulating by the building or the buying of a state railroad
 second.-A system of federal owner ship could not be undertaken until those favoring public ownership could agree upon a basis of purchase or con demnation. whereas state ownership enables each state to deal with the question according to the conditions to be met in the state and according to the opinion of the people of the state.
 Third.-State ownership enables the movement to avail itself of experi- ence. As each. experiment in munici- pal ownership has strengthened those who have been advocating if in other cities. 90 the success of one state rail- road would encourage the adoption or public ownership in other states.