Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-22

Il -
again call your attention to the tre-
mendous burden of proof which rests
upon the opposition. Unless they meet
these difficulties which have shown
land others which my colleague will
present, they will have failed to estab-
lish their case for government owner
Iship.
Lawrence e. Goodbourn.
The third speaker, Lawrence FL
Good ourn OF. Montana, Affirmative,
!. said in part:
\ MY colleague has proved to you two
points. First, that there is need of re-
form in the railroad system Of the
United States. Second, that the inter
stae commerce commission is and will
CONTINUE to be unable to cope with the
situation. He referred you to the
Granger movement, to the bill of 1887
and to the Elkins bill in 1903, each of
which was a failure Commissioners
Land and Prouty admit the commits
sion is a failure, but let us hear what
A. T. Hadley Of Yale university says.
Here are his words: But while con-.
fress could undoubtedly increase the
/ powers of the interstate commerce
commission and that without any seri-
GUS financial damage to the railroads,
it is impro bable that such action would
result in much good to the public.
This has been too true. BY the. Hep
burn bill congress supposedly increas-
ed these powers and it is ayailing noth-
ling. There are more protests now
than ever before against the railroads.
The only help that can come to us
must come from government owner
ship and operation.
But let us look at the benefits ac-
fcruing to the United States from gov
eminent ownership and operation.
| First, government ownership viii rem
edy the evils mentioned by my col
league: monopoly and lack Of conlpeti-
ton, excessive rates, the excessive
death rate, rate DISCERNING and re-
bates. Besides these four evils we
find that we have three kinds Of adj
vantages accruing from government
ownership: economical, political and
social. As to economical advantages.
we find that there will be a financial
saving Of sS00, 200, 900 annually to this
government. From mail service, from
railroad litigation, from interstate COM
mission mil salaries and expenses, from
advantages Of the shortest route. from
no rent and from no dividends to paw.
The political advantages will be as fol-
lows: no railroad lobby, no free
passes or bribery. an elimination Of
graft and over-capi talization AS to
social advantages, the hours Of labor
would be lessened, that there would be
g betterment Of service and that II
would do away with the congestion of
people in the large cities. That such
benefits accrue is shown by the experi-
ence Of other countries.
i would quote to you from Carl vroo-
mar. 9 graduate Of Harvard, and one
who had Just spent year and j half
~ Europe studying the railroad situa.
ton; In every country in Europe
Wnere the state has bought the rail-
road, II has at once improved the ser.
wee and lowered the rates. ana there /
Y less political corruption III connec.
tion# with the state owned roads ~
Belgium and Switzerland than IL con.
nection with the private roads II
America, England and France. Let IS !
nrst look at Germany, which has the
pest system IN the world. Here e 4
what AZ +. Harrington Of Nebras,a
says: In Germany freight and pas
senger rates have been reduced mora
IMAM one-half since the government Ia.
gan 70 acquire the railroads Is t,a
meantime the wages OF the EMPLOYEES
nave been more than doubled AZ
fne same time there accrues & tha
government some one hundred n;l,;o,
dollars annually as dividends. We
next come to Belgium, where va ana L
more roads for it's size than IL apv
DINER a country, and also the chaansst
ta.es u the world. In this country
government and private owners,,in S. !.
side py side for IS years ana al fhass
e :, y q mat time the government az
9 e buy the railroads. Again M
narDor 5at Antwerp, Belgium, has more
Continued On mage &