The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-17
PUBLIC Ownership OF
+ RAILROADS next step
Ex-senator Dagus Shows How
the People are Completely
at Mercy of Roads.
Their Only Escape Is Through
Government Ownership.
Gives Some Sound Facts.

Government ownership of railroads
is not an untrfed experiment. Twenty
six European governments own and
operate their railroads. The fact has
been so thoroughly demonstrated, that
government owned roads are more de-
sirablc in every way than privately
owned roads, that all intelligent
Europeans are astonished that the peo-
pie of this country continue to permit
monopolies TO extract from their pock-
cts hundreds of millions annually more
than they are entitled to for the service
rendered, when that money could be
saved to the people through public
ownership. The disgraceful tact is
beginning to be known throughout the
world that this country, once "the land
of the brave and the home of the Free"
is the worst trust-ridden country on
the globe, and that here, the people
quietly submit to being skinned and
killed with more complacency than do
any other nation.
Let us now refer to a few statistics
and see If this is true. The entire rail-
road system of the United States cost
stocked for more than $4,000, 0OO, 900;
therefore the enormous sum of $4,000
100000 (six billions) Is watered stock,
costing the railroads nothing except
for the paper and printing. The en-
tire railroad system could be duplicated
for S4,000,00o,006. They were given
lands to the total amount of 2,250,000,-
900 acres. This is an area of land
greater than is contained in the states
Of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Mimi
esota and Wisconsin,, which have an
area of about 242,o0o,0o0 acres. Ex-
Governor Larrabee, of Iowa, in his book
on railways, says: ''The railroads on
an average did not cost their builders
to exceed $4,000 per mile, but they
stocked them for more than 100000
mile. No satisfied with having re-
ceived as a free gift the wealth Of an
empire, these railway gourmands lit
orally rob the people every year Of
inoaloulable wealth overcnarges. Here
is but one of the many schemes they
practice to extort from the public.
tt has been shown that mail cars
cost $4,000 each. The railroads charge
the government $3S,000,000 year for
carrying the mails in their cars. 1t
is also shown that they receive sum
large enough each year to nearly pay
for the original cost Of the cars twice
over.
The six Pacific railroads cost $685.
955,347.O0. They were capitalized at
$26S,3O2,462.00; thus $172,347,115 Of the
stock is water" They have paid to
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company,
$4,OO0,00O to maintain high rates. The
Union Pacific, the Southern Pacific
and the Northern Pacific were given
1S0,O00,00o acres of land and also
subsidies by states, counties and towns
to the amount of over 100000. Elk
Governor Pattison says: "These Pa
cif1c roads have robbed shippers and
passengers Of more than $500, 600, 900.
The New York Board of Trade, not
long ago issued a report in (which they
say: 1.-THE railroads control abso-
lutely the legislatures of majority
OF the states Of the union, they make
and unmake United States senators.
congressman and governors, and are
practically the dictators of the gov
ernmental policy Of the United States"
They pay their officers annual salaries
VI AAAOA0 IAAe1AA %6C,UVV,VVU, lu0y retain
forty thousand lawyers to defeat the
people in the courts; they issue thou
sands of free passes to Judges, bank
ers, editors, members of city coun-
ellis of state legislatures and of con-
gress, and other influential citizens
who are expected to create public
sentiment in their favor. They main
tain expensive Hobbies at Washington,
and at every state capitol; and in all
the cities and large towns, they have
their small politicians whose business
it Is to attend primaries, pack conven-
tons, get on juries, and do other
work in their interest. They have at
least one newspaper in every important
city and the larger towns, to talk" for
them; they escape just taxation on
their property, thus increasing the
taxes on farmers and other classes of
people; they favor large shippers by
rebates, and charge their small patrons
AL that the traffic will bear; they
charge double to six times for their
services, more than the rate charged