The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-08-01
FAILURE OF PRIVATE OWNERSHIP.

by the hand. There is a frightful
record of wrecks of passenger
trains, scarcely week passing
that a new horror is not added to
the list. Merchants complain that
freight which formerly occupied
from seventeen to twenty days in
crossing the continent, now takes
from three to five months. There
dlsquitinG rumOrs about that the
railroad companies will be unable
TO give prompt service in trans
porting the California fruit crop,
small as it is, this season. There
is car famine, railroad maguatc
tell us. But why, the average
citizen will ask, are the ties rotten.
Why are the railroads unable to
meet the demand upon them!
Why is there IL car famine? There
can be but one answer, namely,
private ownership in railroads has
failed to make good; has been
proved a monumental failure.
Under private ownership of rail
roads the inevitable has come to
pass. Long ago it was said that
where two railroads parallel each
other, one Of the two things must
happen. They must go into the
hands of Il receiver or combine in
to monopoly. In the very
nature of things, railroad trans
portatlon is Il monopoly, and in
private hands il is a MONOPOLY
that is bound to be exploited for
private gain. And this as Il thing
that no people can permit without
suffering the tremendous consc-
qucnceS that are now upon us,
paralysis of the country's trans
portation facilities.
Under the the system of private
ownership the people were first ex-
plotted and then tho railroads
themselves. The last generation
passed through the period of the
exploitation of the people, the
charging of all that the traffic will
bear. The railroads of the country
fairly MIXED its industries dry
Towns were built by railroad
favor, while its disfavor meant the
ruin of not only individuals, but of
even large cities. Railroad favor
built up the State Of WASHINGTON.
railroad indifference delayed the
development of Oregon Il gcner-
alton. This stage of railroad OK
ploitation, bad as it was, is now
practically past. The railroads
dare not do now, i'll the matter of
discrimination, what twcntv.iiy,
years, and even five years ago,
was taken as Il matter of course.
But even 4 worse stage of rail.
road exploitation has been reached
Now we do not have the cXploita
tion of individual and community
but of the railroads themselves
The railroad maguate with a CLEAN
of conscience, or of human feeling
has, by course vicious selection
been eliminated, until now w,
have the cold blooded. chilled
steel eNploiter ut the head of rail
road combinations, who deals il
railroads for what he can get ON
of the buying and selling, tn,
building mp and wrecking of TIL,
railroads themselves. Hundred.
of millions of dollars are borrowc,
on one railroad property that an
other railroad property NAV y,
bought, exploited, squeezed like ::
lemon. and thrown aside, that an
other property may be bought III
and passed through the same pro
cess. The result is seen in tn,
rotton ties. i'll the loose fShplatcS.
i'll the car famines and in tn,
! CHASTITY sacrifice of human lives.
This is, if you like, the elimination
of private ownership in railroads.
. , l.,