Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-22
and
CONVINCING
ADDRESSES
Continued from page SIS

- 2 e,5r'sce,A, VIII lHdI make the
argument of the affirmative valid
'Ilhey say that government ownership
Is successful abroad. That Germany
Ior instance has government owner.
snip and has no evils, and therefore
we We Shall have government ownership
10 our country. II contend that This
conclusion is false for three reasons
First, the system as used in Germany
ls not the system as advocated BY the
affirmative. Germany has state own
ersh1p. Each state owns and oper-
ares Its own lines, referring to the
central government for general SUPER
vision. But the affirmative advocate
q system ste in which the great common
carriers as of our country are to be
owned and operated by the central
government govern at Washington, hence
there can be no analogy.
The second reason is that Germany
owns her railroad lines for military
reasons and military reasons alone
| She is driven to this policy by reason
OF her geographical position. She.
knows the excitable temperament Of
the French on the west, the revolution
airy spear of the Stay and Magyar on
the south. She has had experience
with the rebellious Poles on the east.
and hence she has "a broad border to
protect. How does she do it? Take
down your map and you will find that
the principal railroad lines of Germany
rad1ate in all directions from the
capital, Berlin These lines intersect
the border at almost equal distances.
| What is the reason? Here is plainly
displayed the hand of Bismarck and
| OF Won Moltke. 1t is to transport
troops and provisions along these
lines with the greatest facility in
time of war. But in America we have
no such military plan. We have no
such military reason to own our
railroads. We are at peace and
amity with our friends on the north
/ and our neighbors on the south.
hence, the conclusion fails again.
There is a third reason and it is
fundamental in this debate Germany
is an old and developed country. Lit
tie money is expended in the building
OF new lines but more is the mainten-
ance OF those already in operation,
while in America we have young and
4 developing country. Large sums of
money are expended every year for
the building of new lines. Last year
in North Dakota there were more
miles railroad built than there were
4 in all of Germany. Last year there
were more miles of railroad built in
three western states than there were
j in all of Germany in the last four
4 years. The fa1lacy of COMPARING
Switzerland or Belgium with the
4 United States is too apparent to need
4 mention. The railroad system of
4 Belgium or Switzerland compared
with the railroad system of the
United States is mere merry-go-
round a
What has been done by the negative
to sustain their contention? The first
4 speaker showed the impracticability
of government ownership in this coun-
try from a political standpoint. He
showed that sectional jealousy would
prevent railroad building in the dis
! trict where it was most needed 1t
would clog the wheels of railroad
Y progress, and owing to our form of
government would bring upon us a
carnival of crime and corruption. The
second speaker for the negative
4 showed the impracticability of govern
ment ownership in this country from
i an industrial and economic standpoint.
lHhe showed that the great question
before the American people was a
question of the further development of
4 our national resources question of
the winning of the west for civiliza-
4 ton. 1t is a question of giving new
4 homes to the great number of people
who come to our borders from foreign
lands. He showed that thus far the
Il railroad had been the great factor in
(, the solution of that problem and that
4 ultimately It would be the factor in it's
i solution. And he showed the utter
4 folly of allowing the solution of this
probe INTO depend on governmental
waste and official incompetence.
These are practical objections to
government ownership, but there are
others still more practical to the inter
ests of American people. Here the
question Of naturalization presents it
self How are the railroads to be OBJ.
tanned? What is to be the effect on
i industry. on our credit during the time
1t takes to nationalize? These are
\ questions SO practical and with
answers SO obvious that the American
people seem to have laid aside the