The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-12-03
Uncle Sam In Business.

government ownership 10 De LOlQ C0dC
Uncle Sam at the present time not
only owns but operates a great vari-
ETY. of businesses. Such is the case
however, and these different govern
ment activities include the carrying on
of practically all the enterprises that
any except the most advanced socialists
advocate putting into the hands of the
government. Comprehensive informa
ton as to these various enterprises
carried on by the Federal government
has been collected by Harold Bolce
and the results are to be given in an
article in the Forthcoming number of
Appleton's Magazine.
While even the most radical politi-
clans do not recommend the operation
of railroads by the government and
while Mr.. Bryan has declared that lit
is not an issue at present, it is pointed
out that the United States is actually
running not only a railroad but an ex-
tensive steamship line as well. This
is the Panama railroad and the Pan
anna railroad and the Panama Steam
ship line between New York and
Colon. While both were acquired as
an incident to the building of the Pan
ANA Canal, the Government runs them
quite like a private enterprise. To
attract business it issues advertising
pamphlets enlivened with cuts of Span
ism senoritas and street scenes in Pan
anna and announces that wines,
spirits, etc.. of the best quality are
provided on board at!moderate prices.
So that. in addition to his other varied
activities, Uncle Samuel figures as a
barkeeper. lls yT91s
The Federal government has also in
vaded the telegraph and cable bust
ness, operating the Washington-Alaska
system which gives communication be-
tween the Alaskan towns and the rest
of the world. The total length of the
land lines of this system would be
sufficient TO reach two-thirds of the
distance across the continent, while
the government cables would extend
across the Atlantic. To prove that he
is strictly up-to-date, Uncle Sam COM
bines the wireless with his other sys-
TENS of telegraphic communication
and regularly sends wireless messages
across Norton Sound, distance of LOT
miles, in connection with the cable
and land lines.
Out in the Philippines the govern
ment has established a system of pos
tai savings banks, although the opposi-
ton to this scheme is still strong
enough to prevent its introduction
within the limits of the States. Two
and half per cent. is the rate of in
terest paid on these government depos-
its. The insuIar possessions and
Alaska, according to the Appleton's
story, have been the seat of most of
the national excursions into the fields
of business usually left to private en-
terprise. In different parts of these
newer possessions there are govern
ment packing houses. government
cold storage and ice-making plant,
government summer resort at Bengust
in the Philippines, government trading
stores and circulating libraries, and
even government farms and tenement
houses. Manila has a government
newspaper and Porto2ico boasts gov
eminent telephone line.
All of these undertakings seem to be
fairly successful and some of them are
yielding returns above the cost OF oper-
alton. While most of them have been
entered upon since the beginning of
the Roosevelt administration, they do
not necessarily indicate that the
country is going into government
ownership and operation generally.
Most of them have been taken up by
the national administration because
private capital was not attached to
them. At the same time they afford
an interesting showing CT the extent
to which the United States is engaged
in the operation of what are usually
private lines of business.