Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-31

in the hansis of the commission appointed
by the president INTRODUCES new danger,
TO Ak rates, aid can, By the exercise 81
that power, lacrosse OF 'decraRsc,s' by
hlindredss OF millions OF -dollars the annual
r rSgSS fJsi tbAt sS have no large R
pecuniary intetesy On the eiertiou ~
president friendly 20 ,ihf railroads. ES;
corruption Is largely traceable TO the fact
that franchise corporations desire q con
troll the city council and thus increase
the same policy the sentiment in favor
Of the ownership Nof the railroads by tho
governmcnt Is iisely 10 thcreas. q =, rap
ment, In favor OF municipal ownership
has increased in the cities.
Foresees" 'Government Universally.
have already reached the conclusion
nature of a monopoly that they must ulti-
mately become public property and be
managed by public officials IN the interest
OF the whole community in accordance
with the we'll defined theory that pu lie
ownership is necessary where competition
is impossible. I DO not know that the
not know that a majority of my own
party favor Il. but believe that an a.
creasing number of my own party favor
of the members of all parties see in pub
lie ownership the sure remedy Tor dls-
ordinations between persons and politics
carrying of freight and passengers
Relieving however that the operation
OF all the railroads by. the fedora gov
which would all but ob1iterate state lines,
I prefer to see only the trunk lines OPP
Grated by the federal government and the
local lines by the several state govern
some have opposed this dual ownership
as impracticabie but investigation In Eu-
rope has convinced me that II is entirely
practicable. Nearly all the railroads OF
Germany are owned by the several states,
the empire not even owning the trunk Tx hns ss
obstrueted. In travelling from CONSTANT
nople to Vienna one passes through Tur-
of Austria without a change OF cars. and
yet each country owns and operates its
own roads and different languages are
spoken on the different divisions OF the
lines. Sweden and Norway each owns Its
railroads, but they have-gno trouble about
interstate trafic, although their political
relations are somewhat strained.
His Plan Feasible.
The ownership and operation of the local
lines by the several state governments IL
not only feasible, but it suits itself to the
conditions existing In the various states.
for change the local lines can be pur-
chased or new lines be built at once, while
private ownership can continue In those
vate ownership. Some states have been
more careful than others to prevent the
watering of stock. and in the acquiring Of
roads each state can act according to the
situation which II has to meet.
AS to the right of the governments. fed
sral and state, to own and operate rail
the water in the lakes and build connect
ing canals I'M order to cheaper railroad
transportation during half OF the year, We
can build railroad and cheaper rates the
whole year: II we can spend 500 1900 on
the Panama canal to lower transconti-
New York to San Francisco to lower both
transcontfneitaf and local rates. The
United States man IL increasing so rapidly
interest, on the cost Of trunk lines out Of
the money which we now pay to railroads
for carrying through mails.
Fear May Curb Corporations
IL any Of you question the propriety Of
my mentioning this subject, 1 beg to- re-
mind you that the president could not have
secured the passage OF the rate bill had he
not appealed TO the fear OF the more rad.
ical remedy of government ownership. and
nothing will so restrain the railroad mag
mates from attempting to capture the In
FEAR The high-handed manner In which
they have violated law and ignored au
thority, together with the corruption dis
create sentiment In favor OF public owner
snip than all the speeches and arguments
Oh the opponents Of private ownership
as part of the trust question because
IN tne Sc are so interwoyen that Il Is difficult
just word more In regard to the trusts
are an economic development and thai
injury e our TltesEst srsst
be answered in two .wsys.. q,,.-7 tx. -.
:. F tt1 trusts are political development
the trust system cannot be permitted to
continue, even though it did result in a
hei rests SpoS gain Il Is political because
porauon rests upon a statutory founda-
ton The trust, instead of being a nat
i IrSs Sev sSg y form Of egalized
law permits II to exist That there is nm
economic advantage IN production on a
100000 yards, Of cloth can be predueed IN
one Factory at lower price per yard
than 10000 yards can be produced in the
same factory II does not follow that cloth
would be produced at still lower price
per yard II all the cloth consumed In the
United States were produced in one fac
point beyond which the economic advau-
tage OF large production ceases. The mo-
ment an Industry approaches the position
efficiency, for a monopoly disoourases in
yention. invites deterioration in quality and
ton, viz, individual ambition. -
Monopoly Not JustiaabIe.
But the political objections to a trust
overcome any economic advantage which
Il can possibly have. No economic advan-
JSteNsiS Nh 0espOtlSn
or compensate nation for the loss II
Independence among its producers Politi.
cal liberty could mot hong endure under
an. INDUSTRIAL system which, permitted a
few powerful magnates to control the
mea1s OF LIVELIHOOD Of the rest OF the
Lapdlordsm, the curse of Europe. is an
innocent institution In comparison with the
trust, when the trust is carried TO lis
logical conclusion. The man who argues
that there ts, an economic advantage in
private monopoly is aiding socialism The
socialist, asserting the economic superior.
ity of the monopoly. insists that its bene.
nts shall accrue to the whole people,, and
his conclusion cannot be denied IL the
superiority OF monopoly is admitted. Tie
democratic party, Ii understand its po-
sition, denies the recononfic as well as The
y political advantage OF private monopoly
and promises to oppose II wherever u
manifests itself. IL offefs as an alternative
competition where competition 10 possible
tions = ~ ~
Socialism so Remedy. srr.
Socialism presents a consistent theory, but
a theory which, In my judgment. does not
take human nature into account, Its
strength Is 'sin it's attack upon evils the
existence of. which IL confessed. Its weak
ness Ia that il would substitute a new
disease-if not a worse one-for the dis
ease fGep4 which we suffer. The socialist
Is honest In the belief that he has found n
remedy for human Ills, and he must be
answered with argument. not with abusI.
Tho best way Co oppose socialism Is TO
remedy the abuses which have grown up