The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-23
Government Ownership
Will Not Be Campaign
Issue.
MUST REGULATE
Federal Judges innul State statutes
and Railroads Under Present
Federal Law Continue En-
tortionate Charges to
Patrons.
(By TIE Associated Press }


Lincoln, Neb.. July 2o.-Wiliam J.
Bryan today issued the following
statement:
Government ownership is not an
immediate issue. A large majority
of the people still nope for effective
regulation While they 50 hope. they
/ viii not consider government owner
ship 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
finally in self defense be driven TO
ownership. recognize that regu14 ton
must be tried under the most fayora be
c rcumstances before the masses Will
BE ready to try more radical reme-
dy.
Regulation carnot be sufficiently
tried within the next year There
is no desire anywhere 10 make govern
ment ownership an issue in 1908. MIR.
Bryan fully agrees with those who be-
lieve that it would be unwise to turn
attention from regulation on which
the people are ready 70 act to govern
ment- ownership. on which the people
are not ready to act. To inject the
government ownership question into
the next campaign would simply give
representatives of the railroads q
chance to dodge the issue If regula-
ton and deceive the publi>
so far, the railroads have been
successful in preventing effective Fed
eral regulation and state regulation
has, rule. been restrained by the
United states courts. It Is about
twenty Eears since the Interstate Com
merce Commission was createJ 1t
required about ten years COR the
CGlI~tS Ia find that . ,-e11-c
conferred were insufficient and ti.en it
took about ten years 10 prCcI.re an
amendment The railroads fought the
Gmendnent at every step. ana the
President was finally forced 10 com
promisa with the railroad and Hepub-
lcanS IN the Senate in order - pro-
cure their support
Even that amendment obtained
with Tremendous effort falls short Of
what it should he. 1t aims to stop
passes and rohates. The railroads
profit pecEniarily by both the stop
cage OF rebates and the prohibition Of
r%sscs- but oXto~tiora4e rates still ex-
ist state legislation tor tho 'e1uction
Of rates has resulted in an agitation
on the part of the railroads for lesis-
latioa. which viii deprive the state Of
authority and ce1tralize all rate leg
isiati"n in Congress.
The Democratic party rliI,;- meet
the issue presented: it must resist the
cncro2C nm entS on the authority of the
states. II must insist upon .hc en-
ercise Of Federal power for the roCu-
lation Of interstat" commerce and il,
must insist upon the exercise II state
authority for the exercise # all of
the power vested in the state his
question has grown in importance '!ur-
inc, the past year and its prore;nenc.
will be increased if any attcmpt is
maze to i'm pair state authority rhe
Republican party is as inDotent to
regulate the railroads as it is - e.ter-
inmate the trusts and to retoIl1 the
tariff
THE Democratic party has in their
national campaigns demanded effect
i've railroad regulation While the Re
publican national platforms have been
silent on the subject The President
has partly adopted the Democratic
view on the subject; but, so far the
Republican lea derS have resoluteIy op-
posed it. The President is helping to
educate the people up to the need of
railroad regulation: but mis- party,
under its present leadership, is pow
erless to accomplish this or any other
important reform. If the Democratic
party will clearly and uneQuivocally
demand:
First the ascertaining of the value
of all railroads; second. the prevent
ing of r-capitalization; and. third.
the reduction of rates to a point where
they will yield only a reasonable re-
turn on the real value of the roads, it
will commend itself not only to Dem
ocrats, but to those Republicans who
have been led TO study the railroad
question The railroad situation pre-
sents q vital issue and the issue should
be so stated that every one can under
stand the party'S position.