The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-08-12
An Unsafe Assumption.

climbing irons.
An Unsafe Assumption.
An editorial ir the New York journal
Of Commerce opposing government rate
making is sent out by the railroad press
bureau. The writer starts out with the
proposition that eff government owner
ship Of railways, its next-door neighbor
rate-making-or any other
of the various proposals for an extern
sion Of federal enterprise in the indus
trial world comes before congress in
urgent form next winter, 1t ought to
encounter several fresh obstacles.' Of
course there is no occasion for associat-
ing government ownership Of railways
with the exercise Of the power by the
name a new rate when an old one has
been found to be unjust. But conceding
the association which the Journal Of
Commerce makes, it is interesting to
follow it's argument against rate-making
derived from the incidents Of the cur
rent year which expose government en-
terprise of various sorts in an unen-
viable light. The Journal Of Commerce
calls attention to the unfortunate reve-
lations wounding to our national pride
with regard to the faint Of dishonesty
in branches Of the public service-the
leakage in the crop report, for instance,
is cited, the frauds in the land depart
ment, the sale Of valuable information
by government scientists for their pri-
vate advantage and other taints upon
government enterprises which have been
| inflicted without the knowledge Of the
| heads Of the departments. It is argued
| that this not only shows the tendency
toward dishonesty on the part Of gov
eminent employees, but that it is prac-
tically impossible for the heads of the
departments to be advised of and to
prevent iniquities Of this nature.
OF course, comment which naturally
suggests itself is that private enter
prise is no more free from faint. We
have but to cite the Equitable Life to
furnish an example Of crookedness far
in excess Of anything revealed in the
government service, and this, too, in a
branch of private enterprise involving
a more sacred trust than that committed
to any government department or blu.
reau. The Journal Of Commerce recog
nizes the propriety Of this comment and
seeks to anticipate it by the statement
that it is no reply to It's argument
against the extension of government
control to say that these recent revela,
tions in private enterprise have indi
Gated as bad a state Of affairs if not
worse, because, it continues, "the trutl
is that it is precisely those enterprise
that approach more nearly to govern
mental methods in their administration
!. that stand convicted Of irregular prac
tices-enterprises where there is free
dom from competition, where there i
t routine methods in business and wher
favoritism, whether Of the family 0
political type, produces evil results.
Why ism It it an answers Why doesn
I it show conclusively that the circum
stance Of governmental control is fac
tor Of no Importance affecting the hon
esty or the dishonesty Of men in charg
Of large enterprises7 Why doesn It
appear from the very instances whic
the Journal Of Commerce cites that pr
vate enterprise is just as rotten as gov
: ernmental, and that both can be purife
8 only by the elevation Of the standard 0
e Individual life and conduct and that
: SO far as these private companies al
o proach the character of monopoly, tn
q more serious become the effects of th
s abuses complained off Competition
i destroyed, monopoly controls, and the1
is left no avenue Of escape from thes
2 abuses except governmental interve1
:. tion. This, is inevitable, and the sp
= cial pleaders for maintenance Of tn
a condition uninfuenced and unafecte
$ by the higher power Of the state simp]
q shut their eyes to the facts and assun
"a that everybody else will do the sam
! Which is an unsafe assumption.