The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-21

William J. Bryan Makes I'M
portant Statement Regarding
Government Ownership.
REGULATION TO BE TRIED
REPUBLICAN PARTY IMPoTENT
TO EFFECT REFORM.

| Lincoln, Neb., July 2e.-In a statement
made today by William ]. Bryan under
the heading, Government Ownership Not
an ISSUE" Mr.. Bryan said:
Government ownership is not an i'm
mediate issue. A large majority Of the
people still hope for effective regulation.
| While they so hope they will not con-
slder ownership. While many Democrats
| believe, and Mr.. Bryan is one of them,
| that public ownership of railroads is the
ultimate solution of the problem, still
| those who believe that the public will
ershlp, realize that regulation must be
tried under the most favorable circum-
stances before the masses will be ready
to try more radical remedy.
Not an Issue Next Year.
Regulation cannot be sufficiently tried
WITHIN the next year. There Is no de-
sire anywhere to make government own
ership an issue in 1903. Mr.. Bryan fully
agrees with those who believe that If
would be unWise to turn attention from
regulation on which the people are ready
TO act to government ownership, upon
which the people are not ready to act,
10 inject the government ownership uues-
ton into the next campaign would simply
give representatives Of the railroads a
chance TO dodge the issue and deceive the
public.
so far the railroads have been Sue
cessful in preventing effective federal
regulation and state regulation has as a
rule been restrained by the United States
courts. 1t Is about twenty years since the
interstate commerce commission was Gre
ated- 1t required about ten years for the
courts to find out that the powers con-
terred were insufficient and then IL took
about ten years TO secure an amendment
Inc railroads fought tEs amendment at
every step and the president was finally
forced to compromise with the railroad
Republicans In the senate in order to Sc
cure theT support; Even that amend
ment, secured with tremendous effort,
falls short of what it should be 1t aims
to stop passes and rebates. The rail-
roads profit pecuniarily by both the STOP
page OF rebates and the prohibition of
passes, but eXtOrtiOnate rates still exist
state legislation for the reduction of rates
mas resulted in an agits ton on the part
of railroads for legislation which will de-
pTtve the state of authority and central
lie all rate legislation in congress.
Must Meet the Issue.
THE Democratic party must meet the
issue presented; IL must resist the en-
croachments upon the authority Of the
of federal power for the regulation of
Interstate commerce and 1t must insist
upon the exercise Of state authority for
the exercise of all of the power vested
In the state This question has grown in
Importance during the past year and its
prominence will be increased if any effort
is made to Impair state rights The Re
publican party is as impotent to regu-
late the railroads as it is to exterminate
the trust and reform the tariff
The Democratic party has in three ma
tional conventions demanded reforms
while the Republican platforms have been
silent on the subject. The president has
partially adopted the Democratic view
on this subject, but so far the Republican
leaders have resolutely opposed it. The
president is helping to educate the peo-
pie up to the need of railroad regulation,
but his party, under its present leader
ship, is pOwerlesS to accomplish this or
any important reform. If the Democrats
party viii clearly and uneQuivOCalIy de-
mand, first, the ascertaining of the value
of all the railroads; second, the prevent
ing of ver-capitalization; and, third the
reduction Of rates to point where they
VIII yield only reasonable return upon
the real value of the roads-if the party
will do this. 1t will commend itself not
only to Democrats, but to those Repub-
hcans who have been led to study the
railroad satuation. The railroad situation
presents vital issue and the issue should
be so stated that every one can under
stand the party position"