Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-22

in this particular are to be perpetuated
or whether, following the example or
leffete monarchies, we shall pursue plan
limpracticable Of execution, un-American
In its inception and socialistic in Its &C
accomplishment" began Senator Burkett.
For century We have existed as na-
ton and operated under a policy that the
function OF government Is to govern: that
its prerogatives should 60 no further than
the life. liberty and welfare OF its citizens
in supervising capacity and to Its own
honor and perpetuity. The struggles OF
trade ana commerce have been left to IN
ldividuals, and the government has con-
tented itself with maintaining harmony
and equal opportunity And If today we
shall undertake government ownership OF
railroads we will take a step backward,
set aside every teaching of the fathers
every principle of the Constitution and
trample upon every tradition Of the re-
public.
| There are three considerations that call
| for attention--three phases of each ques-
ton that must be determined: The con-
stitutional phase. the financial phase and
the political phase. Is 1t constitutional!
Is 1t economic? Is it polite? The qucs-
| ton then becomes First: Is II possible
constitutionally. economically. politically?
Second: Is 1t misunderstanding
economically. politically?
| THE really serious question that con-
| fronts us is that of adyisability Granting
as l do that the first question of posi-
| bility can be answered aff1rmatively. 1 am
not willing to admit the latter. In my
opinion government ownership of railroads
! is not advisable from any Of the three
standpoints that / have mentioned. 1t is
not advisable constitutionally, economical
| ly or politically. Granting that 1t would
be possible to amend the Constitution, |
deny that it would be advisable; or grant
ing that the Constitution would not need
| amending. am not willing that 1t should
be stretched.
| Question of Cost.
After celebrating his arguments against
the proposition on the grounds of its I'm
constitutionality and inadvisability, he
continued. in part, as follows:
But another question presents itself:
| Would the government. be able to run the
| railroads as cheaply az private ownership
runs them: Profits. you know. are re-
suit of a mathematical process. in which
income and expense are both equally i'm
portant factors. AS expense runs up profits
go down. and as profits go down the de-
| ficiency runs up. Expense and Deficiencies
go up and down together land that is no
reflection on silver and wheat. either). 1
doubt If any man Will contend that the
government can run anything cheaply
| as private individuals can do it, There
| may be particular reasons why the gov
eminent should and must do a certain
thing. but there is no reason in The books
J why the government con do 1t as cheaply.
| The government never works by the rules
of economy. but by the rule Of necessity.
Experience of the past has taught us that
| economy is not a governmental virtue. We
| boast of our post office system and yet it
has never paid expenses. Postal service
Is cheap. Of course, at any price, but the
price has never equaled the cost Yet.
notwithstanding, today there is pending
proposition more or less certain and re-
sponsible to run the postal system at half
what it costs.
| Nations Policy to Avoid Debt.
| with our growth a nation. with all
our internal improvements. it has been
American policy to keep out of debt, and
until the Panama. canal no dollar of
| bonds, so far as l can learn, has been is
sued in contemplation of any internal i'm
| provements. We have paid as we went,
because we have not gone faster than
| our income would allow. And our bonded
| Indebtedness today. aside from some small
amounts now and then issued to meet
mistaken estimates and. miscalculations of
| the relation Of income and expenditure,
| represents war Indebtedness. Our people
have not accustomed themselves to gigan-
| tic public debts for civil purposes. Every
American citizen prides himself in the
| belief that the good time Is surely COM
ing when our debts shall be paid and no
| bond OF American liability can be hawk
i u.
sentiment cannot be overturned in a day.
| Government ownership means a plunge
into Indebtedness from which we can
| never return. Railroads under any sort
| of ownership must be operated by men
plain, frail men. Successful operation de-
| ponds upon the supervision and control
| of the operating under either system. Let
the government control and provide in
general the objects that must be accom-
plished, but trust the private owner to
economically work out the details. Half
the laws Under private control will bring
| about the end we all seek as would pro-
| duce the same result under government
| ownership. Determinations are not un-
| known in countries where the railroads
are owned by the government The
farmers Of the wheatraising section Of
| eastern Germany have complained for
/ years of the system that has kept their
products out OF the mining districts along
| the Rhine. Special export rates which
| our courts have condemned are common
practice in Germany.
| Governments and Railroads.
| so 1 say that circumstances. political
| and commercial. the conditions of a peo-
pie. social and financial. have determined
| the relation of governments to their rail-
| roads. But none of those influences impel
America to government ownership. Ameri-
canism IL a mighty protest against pa
ternalism-we are born as republic, out
or great contest of individualisnl
against paternalism. The traditions Of
| the republic and the inspiration of her
people revolt against the antediiuvian
| rule of paternalism In other countries
| conditions have been different. In one
| form or another they have been governed
| by monarchs and patriarchs. For gen.
| eratiOns the divine right of kings and
| the humble dependence of the individual
have impregnated the very soul Of the
people. The government is everything-the
| citizen nothing. 1t Is tradition there-it
| would be revolutionary here. 1t would
| be spear thrust to the very heart of
| our body polite. 1t would mean revolu-
| ton not only to our political ideals, but
| to our commercial affairs. 1t means pa
ternalism i'm politics and socialism in COM
| merce.
| Sons of American Revolution.
The banquet halls of the Arlington were
crowded with the Sons of the American
Revolution at noon today at their annual
meeting for the reading of reports, the
| election of officers and to f1ttingly COM
| memorate the day. The meeting was
| called to order at noon by the president,
| Mr.. William l.. Marsh who announced
| that the election polls would be kept open
| from noon until 1 pm. Tellers were ap-
pointed follows: Messrs. NJ. l.. Daw-
kins, j. b. Torbert. G. G. Dodge. c. q.
L