Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-01-10

have railroads as we have got used
20 them and could not get along
q without their services. But many
think that they could do business
4 a,itbout the railway abuses, and
everv man, woman and child knows
We have railroad abuses so we do
rot have to write on them. What we
want to know is how to get rid Of
the abuses and bad services or the
lack Of service,
There was a day when we had
& competiting railroads and we have
some places now where railways have
m compete with rivers like the A. e
Il q r. p. between Portland and AS
q toria. 1t has to compete with the
a steamboats, on the Columbia river
& and YOU do not hear of any local rail-
4 wav abuses between these places as
the open river puts the railway on
its good behavior.
So Il IS plain that the abuses are
due TO monopoly or the lack of COM
petition and If that is true anything
that will give us competition will do
away with railway abuses, and give
the public railway service of the
kind that progressive people de-
mand. Railways should serve the
people. but the monopoly makes the
people serve the railways. and the
railway managers think that the
peoples only EXCUSE for living is to
serve them.
What the state of oregon needs
. is competing railway and the only
4 way TO get It is for the state to build
good double track road bed from
4 Portland to Ashland and throw Il
4 open as a tool road Let any COM
q pany or individual run trains on It
who will run them on schedule time
4 and give the right of way to those
trains which carry freight and pas
sengers for the least money.
The state would have the train
dispatchers and telegraph opera
1 tors and station agents and all
trains would be subject To- the train
dispatcher when on the road: Let
4 the state do this and then we would
have genuine competing railway.
II Trains would compete over the same
tracks Just rs the steamboats, DO on
the river Do this and we would
have the best railway service in the
world. Let the state do this and the
best railway managers who are in
the employ of the monopolies would
put trains on the state owned roads
and run them 10 give service. DO
this and We would not need any rail-
way commission 10 fix rates DO this
and yQn would not have one rate
for ton of hons and another rate
for ton of wheat
If the state was TO go into the
railway business then the railways
would 20 out OF politics as they
would have 10 do business on busi-
ness principles; they would have TO
compete with the state owned road
and when they would do that. they
could not afford 10 do politics as they
would not be making SO much money
as they are now and politics cost
money.
Suppose the state was to build
good double track. road from Port
land TO Ashland and put one hundred
fails on 1t and ballast II with rock.
now would the S. p. compete with its
single track line?
The state would only charge toll to
Keep the road in repair, it would not
nave to make any profit on the in
Fes'ment as that would come in the
seneral prosperity OF the people. and
as proper function of the state is
20 promote the prosperity of the peo-
pie II should free the people of rail-
way monopoly.
rus is not new principal; IL Is
sn' same as the rivers. The United
o'a'es government owns all the riv-
efS ana they make an the rules for
'ne operating of steamboats,. The
state OF New York owns the Erie
'Hnai aud makes all the rules for
'"e boats. The counties own all the
,ouh'y roads and make all the rules
'or wagons that run on them. This
1onllnon sense principal should be
applied to the railway business as 1t
'aS everything to recommend it and
~e ' nave nothing to fear from it.
Here would not be any great army
= oheials that is so much feared by
nc politicians. just a few section
"7h' station agents. and operators
'uu they would be kept busy on the
Oad Keeping it in order for the many
Fains that use il.
II the trains were TO combine TO