Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-22
Eloquent and Convincing Addresses Made the Inter State Debate
! Al State Capitol "Wednesday, Feb. zo,lso7


| from the political needs of congress-
men instead OF from the actual needs
I of business. River and harbor i'm
provements sometimes go where BUSH
ness needs them, but more often
where the next election needs them.
Ninety millions are spent annually in
!, federal improvements. 1t is estimated
that one-half this entire amount serves
no other purpose than to fix the fences
of our shaky legislators. The best
men we have in congress, who are
honest In voting for general legisla-
ton, when it comes to getting money
4 for their constituents, are compelled
Ito grab it from the public purse. When
congress deals out money each section
bids for the largest amount. The larg
| est amount goes to the section having
the greatest political power. The.
country east of the Mississippi holds
20 per cent of our population. Seventy
five per cent of all appropriations go
to that section. Under government
ownership the country east of the Mis-
sissippi would demand the greater
part Of railroad Improvement The
country west Of the Mississippi, with
| its sparse population would secure but
a fraction Of the new mileage which
| it must have. In our own history
there is forceful illustration OF the
working OF this system of appropria-
tons. When the government built
federal wagon roads the older settled
sections got the appropriations and
the new west went without. Let the
gentlemen theorize to suit themselves,
/, but under government ownership CON
gress would apportion railroad i'm
iprovements as other improvements are
apportioned among the states. Con-
gress must vote every dollar expended
| for every mile OF new road and every
bed Of new equipment and sectional
jealousy will shape legislation in this
as in all other such matters Shall we
place the future development Of the
country under such system? Take
an example here at home, If Burleigh
county in the west needed millions to
develop her railroads and Cass county
| in the east held the balance Of power,
would Burleigh willingly place herself
under the power of Cass and make her
prosperity depend upon the liberality
OF rival In the next ten years we
in North Dakota need five thousand
miles Of new road More than will be
/ built in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Illinois combined Under govern
ment ownership we would have to go
to the politicians of those states for
every extension of new lines and every
Increase of equipment. Would You
trust our future development to those
states who now grab Is per cent OF
our federal improvements? Give to
the east the power to dictate our de-.
Velopme emit; compel North Dakota to
ask New York for the railroads she
needs; place western prosperity under
the power of eastern politics and YOU
viii stunt western development and
cripple every western state. IN this
vital point government ownership viii
fail in America. It will not meet our
problem of development.
The opposition have made much of
the fact that under private ownership
our railway service and our public
servants are corrupted by graft. Can
you think Of any step that win more
completely demoralize our national
politics than placing the great army Of
railway employees under government
officials !? a million and half Of men
''Te be under the power Of corrupt
politicians. You may talk OF civil SER
vice, but place railway employees under
the administration and every railway
superint endent will be politician
Every station agent party worker
lust as every postmaster is at present
Federal employees would be numerous
enough to decide every presidential
election, and they are bound ia IL
used Tor political purposes. they
would mean SO many henchmen for i
great federal machine, SO much more
power for the corrupt Official one
more step toward perpetuating graft.
and debauchingor national politics.
we have corruption today because
our Office holders can be bought nm.
ger government ownership our once.
holders can stilI be bought and tl,ey
VIII be bought. They viii be dishon.
est then as they are now and their III
creased opportunities for graft Womb
make our system Infinitely worse than
Iit y today Il our office holders ara
dishonest now, will railroad operation
stagger them with Its vast revenue