The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-02
HUGE MERGER AS
RAILROAD TREND.
Morton Says Pooling, Unified
Control or Government Own
ership Is Certain.

From The Journal Bureau, Colorado Building
Washington.
Washington, Feb. 2.-The views of |
Secretary Of the Navy Morton on rail
road rate legislation, as recently ex-
pressed, have attracted much attention
at the capitol. Altho Mr.. Morton has
explicitly stated they must not, in any
way, be taken as the "views of the adj
cepted as the views which he, as one
of the advisers of President Roosevelt,
! is constantly presenting to the presl-
dent, and therefore are presumed to
have exercised more or less influence on
the attitude of the administration, Ger
tain Of these opinions thus publicly ex-
pressed are regarded by some legislators
as more in accordance with democratic
than republican doctrine and already
some democratic senators have voiced
similar sentiments.
Mr.. Morton states as his belief that
Zone of three things is sure, to take
place in the conduct Of our railway sys,,.
poois,' Wthe further unifcation Of
ownership,' or government owner
ship
The first proposition is supported p by
the railroads and was contained in the
old Corliss-N Nelson bill, but is extremely
| unpopular in congress, SO much SO that
Representative Mann Of Illinois, mem
| Der Of the house committee on inter-
state commerce, recently stated such a
in congress than snowflake in Hades."
Democratic Doctrine.
The third, "government' ownership, -
is, if anything, undisputably a demo-
cratic idea; the secGad the d fIrther
been advocated by some of the demo
Gratis, adm Senator Newlands OF Nevada
urges the creation of a joint commits
sion of the senate and house to prepare
national incorporation act which shall
promote the further uniticatlon OF the
| Morton, after urging the legalzation Of
pooling, says:
Second-The further uniftcation OF own
ership, thereby delivering in time the en-
tire railway ownership Of the country
into the hands of few individuals, or
one syndicate. This condition has already
been hurried and helped along by the alb
sence Of pooling, and while I am one OF
those who believe it would not be a ca
lamity if all the railways in the United
States could be owned by one syndicate,
provided they could be managed purely
and simply as a railway proposition,
have grave doubts that this is practicable
and fear that so much concentrated pow
err would be misused.
Government Ownership.
| If it should be he sees nothing left
but Hgovernment ownership, the worst
Of 9Th, the ;three evils if such they may be
Rejecting legalized pooling as an i'm.
possibility, and agreeing with. Mr.: Nor
: ton that government ownership" Is
the worst of the "three evils,' Senator
Newlands seeks the middle path, that OF
encouraging the unifcation of the rail
roads into few systems or even one
system, but giving the government abso
lutte control of the tate making anC
, taxing power. On this subject Senator
Newlands said today:
There are about 1000 railway corpora
lions, of which about GOO are operatin,
companies, and these have fallen unde
: the control of certain systems, so that to
= day it Is q recognized fact that almost al
, the railroad trackage of the country i
+ under the control Of eight or ten systems
each Of which is under the absolute direc
ton and control Of either single NAL
or a group composed of a small numbe
}of men. I regard this as natural an
practical evolution Of the railroad bust
ness, resulting, 80 far as the economi
operation Of the roads Is concerned, in ad
Il vantage and not disadvantage, and operat
, ing, so far as the convenience Of the pub
Il lie is concerned, to their advantage an
:. not to their disadvantage, and only likel
to operate against the interest of tn
country when we consider the question O
rates, Of rebates and Of Determinations
9 It is with reference to these matters, ther
: that the railroads should be brought un
der some form Of unified control, and tina
! unified control should be exercised In sue
q way as not to impair the initiative, tn
:, energy and the enterprise of the operator