The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-07-31
EO BE fONTlHPED-
BRYAN on PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.

BRYAN on PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.
Lincoln, Neb., July 2.-William
Jennings Bryan today issued this
statement:
Government ownership is not an
immediate issue. a large majority Of
the people still hope for effective reg
ulation. While they so hope they VIII
not consider government 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 final
ly in self-defense be driven to owner
ship, recognize that regulation must
be tried under the most favorable cir
cumstances before the masses will he
ready to try a more radical remedy.
Regulation cannot be sufficiently
tried within the next year. There is
no desire anywhere to make govern
ment ownership an issue in 1908. Mr..
Bryan fully agrees with those who be-
iieve that it would be unwise to turn
attention from regulation, on which
the people are ready to act, to gov
ernment ownership. on which the
people are not ready to act. To in
ject the government ownership ques-
ton into the next campaign would
simply give representatives of the
railroads chance to dodge the is
sue of regulation and deceive the pub
lie.
$50 far the railroads have been
successful in preventing effective fed
eral regulation, and State regulation
has as rule been restrained by the
United States courts. It is about 20
years since the interstate commerce
commission was created It required
about 10 years for the courts to find
out that the powers conferred were
insufficient, and then it took about 10
years to procure an amendment. The
railroads fought the amendment at
every step, and the president was
finally forced to compromise with the
railroad Republicans in the senate in
order to procure their support.
Even that amendment, obtained
with tremendous effort falls short OF
what it should be. 1t aims to stop
passes and rebates. The railroads
profit pecuniarily by both the stop
page OF rebates and the prohibition cE
PASSES. but extortionate rates still ex-
isl. State legislation for the reduc-
/ ion Of rates has resulted IL an agi-
tatia7l on the part OF The ~2ilroads for
! legislation which will deprive the
State of authority and centralize all
rate legislation in congress.
'The Democratic party must meet
| the issues presented; it must resist
the encroachments on the authority
of the states It must insist on the
exercise Of federal power for the reg
ulation of interstate commerce, and
| it must insist upon the exercise Of
State authority for the exercise OF all
the power vested in the State. This
question has grown in Importance
during the past year, and its proml-
nence will be increased if any at
tempt is made to impair State author
ty The Republican party is as
impotent to regulate the railroads as
it is TO exterminate the trusts and 10
reform the tariff.
The Democratic party has in three
| national campaigns demanded ef-
fective railroad regulation, while the
Republican national platforms have
been silent on the subject. The pres
ident has partly adopted the Demo-
cratic view on this subject, but so far
the Republican leaders have resolute-
w oopposed it. The president is help
ng 10 educate the people up to the
need Of railroad regulation, but his
! party. under its present leadership Is
| nowerless to accomplish this or any
other important reform.
IF the Democratic party Will clear
and unequivocally demand: First
the ascertaining Of the value OF ali
~2ilroads: second. the preventing OF
Observation-Disclosures, and, third, the
radnction of rates to point where
they will WELD only a reasonable re-
tprn on the real value of the roads, II
will commend itself. not only to DEM
ocrats. but 20 those Republicans who
have ben led to study the railroad
ouestion. The railroad situation pre-
sents a vital issue, and the issue
| should be so stated that every one can
| ,,,..+ond tho nartv'S poSition.'