The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1906-09-07
THE RAILROAD QUESTION.
Interviewer with the rru., Question

interviewer Wftn the trust QUESTION.
The railroad question is also interviewer
with the trust question Nearly all the
private monOpoiies have received rebates
or secured other advantages over compel
TORS Absolute equality Of treatment at
the hands OF the railroads would 10 far
toward Gripping the trusts. and / rejoice
that the president has had the courage 20
press the question upon congress While
the law. as II was finally distorted by the
senate. is not all that could be wished IL
deserves fair trial
New Danger
Rate regulation was absolutely neces-
sary. and II furnishes some relief from
the unbearable conditions which previous-
y existed. but We must not forget that
the vesting OF this enormous power In the
hands OF the commission appointed by the
president introduces new danger II an
appointive board has the power 70 AZ
rates and can. by the exercise OF that
power. increase or decrease by hundreds
~ millions Of dollars the annual revenues
81 the railroads. will not the railroads
terest in the election Of president friend
~ 10 the railroads?
Public Ownership OF Railroads
Experience has demonstrated that mu-
nicipal corruption IL largely traceable 10
thu fact that franchise corporations de-
sire 10 control the city council and thus
Increase their dividends II their man
gers gers sdop, ne same m, policy the sent
.ailroads by the government is likely TO
increase as rapidly throughout the coun-
pal ownership has increased in the cities
Railroads Must Become Public Property
1 have already reached the conclusion
that railroads partake 50 much Of the
nature Of a monopoly that they must al
timately became public property. and be
managed by public officials In the inter
est OF the whole community in accord
9rce with the weu-defned theory that
public ownership Is necessary where com
petition is impossible. / do not know
That the country is ready for this
change do not know that a majority
~ my own party favor ii. but believe
mat an increasing number Of members
81 all parties see in public ownership thu
sure remedy for determinations between
tionate rates for tbs carrying Of freight
and passengers Believing. however tina
the operation 81 all the railroads by the
federal government would result In 8
Capitalization which would all but OBJ
lltersts state lines. ! prefer 10 see only
the trunk lines operated % the federa.
government. and the local lines by Ia.
several state governments. some have
opposed this dual ownership as imprac
ucaole. but investigation an Europe ha
convinced me that IL - entirely prac.
ticabe Nearly ali the railroads OF Ger
many are owned by the several states
the empire not even owning the truns
lines, ana vet the Interstate trafnc j.
In no wise INSTRUCTED. In travelling from
ConstantinOple 10 Vienna. one passes
through turkey, Bulgaria. Ssryis. Hun
gary and part Of Austria without .
owns and operates its own roads an
i1erent languages are spoken on the
different divisions OF the line. Sweder
and Norway eaCn own. its railroads. bul
they have no trouble about interstate
traffic. although .heir political relations
are somewhat strained. The ownership
and operations " the local lines by the
several stale government. 10 not only
feasible. but IL suits itself 10 the condi-
tions existing in its various states. II
those states where the peopl. are rip,
"A he
chased or new lines built. al once. while
private ownership can continue in thOS
private ownership. Some states have
been moTs careful than others TO preve
the watering Of stock. and in the acqutr-
ing ~ r0sds srch state can act accordinr
20 the situation which il has 70 meet.
No Doubt Of Government Power.
As 10 the right Of the governments fed
eral and state. TO own and operate rail-
roads there can be 10 doubt. IL we car
deepen the water In the lakes and bull
connecting canals ia order TO cheaper
railroad transportation during half ~ the
year. We can build railroad and cheap
en- rates the whole year. II We can spcrt
several hundred millions on the Panama
canal to lower transcontinenfal rates We
can build a railroad from New York 10
So Francisco - lower both trans eonti-
mental and local rates The Unite
states mail is Increasing rapidly tins l.
We shall soon be a0ie 70 psy tho intcres
On tine cost ~ trunk lines out VI the
money which We now pay 10 railroads foT
carrying through mails II any ~ you
question the propriety Of my mentioning
this subject ! beg 70 remind you that
the president could not have secured tho
pa ssage OF the rate bill had he not ap
pesled TO the fear OF the more rsdicsl
remedy 81 government ownership. anc
nothing will so restrain the rzilroaf
maRnztss from attempting 10 capture the
Interstate commerce commission as th-
same fear. The highhanded manner IN
which they have Violated law. and ig
nored authority. together with the cor
ruption discovered in high places had
done more to create sentiment Ia favor o.
public ownership than ali the speeches
and arguments Of the opponents OF pri-
vate ownership ] have referred 10 the
r.,ir9sd question ss5. as part % TIE ,ras
that v i- difficult TO consider one without
the other.
Trusts a Political Development.
Just word more ia regard to the trusts
Some defend them on the ground that
they are an economic development, and
that they cannot be prevented without
81, .n3t,. 70 ~ - 49, Fsr.,
trusts are "A political development. rather
than an economic one. snd. second the
trust system cannot be permitted 70 con
tiuue. even though y did result IN net
economic gain. II IL political. because IL
rests upon the corporation. and the cor
poration rests upon statutory founde-
sion The trust. instead " being natu
raj development. 10 4 form 81 l-gaiized
larceny and ran exist only 80 long -
tho INV permits 10 exist That there -
an economic advantage in production On
a large scale may be admitted but be-
cause million yards - clptn can be pro-
tnced in ono factory al a lower price PEI
yard than one hundred thousand yards
can be produced in the same fAc 'Nfy if
does not follow that cloth would prD-
duc.d at a sin lower price Ter yard II
"a the cloth consumed in the nlied
states were produced In ono fncLory o.
mnder one management There is a point
neyonf which the economic advantage ~
large rr1iuction ceases The moment ~
industry Approaches the position % a mo-
nonhly 40 spgins 20 lose in economic eih-
-ieucy. forta monopoly discouraxcS inysn-
ION inyite4 deterioration iu quality. anh
destroys most potent factor in prpdI~
political obi Ations TO a trust overcome
any scoaOini dvsn'ss' which IL can rO.-