The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-07-27
SHELVES OWNERSHIP
Mr.. BRYAN ADVISES TRIAL OF
RAILROAD REGULATIONS.
Doubts that 1t VIII Accomplish
the Desired Results, But 1t Is
Evident that the People Are
Not Ready to Go Further Until
Trial Has Been Made.

Lincoln, Neb., July 22.-In q state
ment issued Saturday, William j.
Bryan removes government ownership
OF railroads from the list of Demo-
cratic issues.
AS the campaign approaches" he
says, 1T becomes more and more evil
dent that, of economic questions, three
the trust question, the tariff ques-
ton and the railroad question-will
share public attention, and these three
really present the same issue between
the general public and the privileged
classes: Shall the government be ad-
ministered in the interest of the whole
people, or in the interest of a few?
This is the issue presented by the trust
question, the tariff question and the
railroad question.
Try Regulation First
Government ownership is not an
immediate issue. A large majority Of
the people still hope for effective reg
ulation, and while they 90 hope they
will not consider ownership. While
many Democrats believe, and I am
one of the number, that public owner
ship offers the ultimate solution Of
the problem, still those who believe
that the public will finally, in self de-
Tense, be driven to ownership, recog-
nize that regulation must be tried un.
der the most favorable circumstances
before the masses will be ready to try
a more radical remedy. Regulation
cannot be sufficiently tried within the
next year, and there is no desire any
where to make government ownership
an issue in 1908"
Mr.. Bryan fully agrees with those
who believe that it 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. To
inject the government ownership ques-
'tion into the next campaign, he says,
would simply give representatives of
the railroads chance to dodge the
issue of regulation and deceive the
putlic.
Has Been Ineffective So Far
$50 far the railroads have been sue
cessful in preventing effective federal
regulation and state regulation has as
q rule been restrained by the United
States courts It is about twenty years
since the interstate commerce COM
mission was created. It required
about ten years for the courts to find
out that the powers conferred we're in
sufficient, and then it took about ten
years to secure an amendment. The
railroads fought the amendment at
every step and the president was final
ly forced to compromise with the rail
road Repu blicans in the senate in or
der to secure their support. Even that
amendment, secured with tremendous
effort, falls short Of what it should
be. 1t aims to stop passes and rebates.
estate legislation for the reduction
of rates has resulted in an agitation
on the part of railroads for legislation
which will deprive the state of author
ity and centralize all rate legislation
in congress. The Democratic party
must meet the issue presented. 1t
must resist the encroachments upon
the authority of the states.
What Democracy Should Do
"The Democratic party has in three
national conventions demanded re-
forms, while the Republican platforms
have been silent on the subject. The
president has partially adopted the
Democratic view on this subject, but
90 far the Republican leaders have
resolutely opposed it. The president
IL r. L.