The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1907-07-11
WILL 1T END THE REPUBuC2

builder IN the country anu WIZ q
the same time has maintained a rer
utation for honesty. thinks that tn
people of the country will deman'
better transportation facilities iron
the railroads which the roads on &C
count of their inability to borrow
money will be unable to furnish anC
that this will lead to demand FOL
government ownership which would
end the republic.
Hill is bralny man and undoubt
edly understands the railroad bust
ness, but our opinion is that he does
not understand the temper or cepa.
bilities of the American people.
There is no sort of doubt that the
people demand better railroad facil-
tiles. The continued congestion of
freight traffic which has continue d
for nj least three years and which
does not appear TO get much better,
the number of accidents occurring
on passenger trains, all tend to make
people impatient and demand better
transportation facilities. II may be
that there has been too much knock
ing on railroads which has resulted
in making il difficult to borrow
money. although our opinion is that
the talk made by the railroads them
selves has done as much to destroy
their credit as any laws that have
been enacted by either the congress
of the United States or by any of
the states.
Personally we cannot say that we
have ever had much faith in the laws
passed to regulate railroads. We
are of the opinion that there is not
now and never has been any system
or consistency in railroad rates and
there is little system and consist
ency In the laws made TO govern and
regulate rates. With one national
board and As state boards undertake
ing the job of regulating the rates
for carrying freight and passengers
and at the same time the roads
themselves undertaking to establish
their own rates we can see nothing 1
but tumble and confusion We are {
inclined To think that the tendency s
is toward government ownership,
as Hill suggests. Maybe govern
ment ownership would be a bad 9
thing; we are not prepared to say
and neither do we think anybody a
knows. but We do not for a minute d
believe that the republic would go
to smash if the government were to !.
own and operate the roads. {
The only thing that will stop the
tendency toward government own !
ership in our opinion will be com !,
plete harmonious system of rates !.
that will operate all over the Union !,
and those rates will have to be public
so that every man may know just
what it will cost to haul a given :;
amount of freight a given distance :.
and may know that no one firm, cor
pofation or Individual will have any
over any other Individual,
firm. or corporation. That is prob
lem that will not be worked out in
day or month or year but it will .,
be worked out or else the demand =,
for government ownership will con h,
tinue to grow. ~
Now we have great deal of faith n
II the fairness of the people of this 90
country, They may get hold of err q,
-oneous impressions and jump to 60
wrong conclusions but in the main -
hey mean to be just A vast ma
ority of them recognize the abso- .
ute necessity of having railroads in ~
his country, plenty of them and
good ones. and that to cripple the
'oads, TO harass them with unjust at
avs and regulations. they know he
would react on themselves. because la,
I is evident that the people of this la,
COUNTRY cannot prosper unless the be
'ailroads prosper. ha
Neither do we think the majority of
f the people really want to under thi
axe government ownership. They am,
now the tremendous difficulties il
hat will lie in the way of such AN bu
experiment. in this country; the cp dol
,ortunities it would afford for graft, cit
eckless and extrayagant manage
nent, immense increase Of power
0 whatever party might happen to wa
e in power loss to the states and "a,
Of the vast sum paid Re-
1to their treasures in the way of tai
axes on railroad properties, for if an.
he roads were owned by the govern Gu.
lent they could not be taxed by the ~