Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-25
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THE GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP GHOST.
Unsympathetic newspaper reporters
throughout the country. particularly in
the east, have acquired the disagree
able habit Of asking Colonel Bryan,
in recent interviews, II he has changed
his attitude on the question of gov
ernment ownership of railways, so
earnestly advocated by him in his
speech at Madison Square garden on
August 80, 1905, just after his return
from a tour of the world. These inter-
views are causing Colonel Bryan more
or less embarrassment, particularly as
he has allowed his answers to conflict
with his recorded position on the sub
ject The latest illustration is fur
nished by an interview with Mr.. Bryan
in Baltimore last week, Just prior to
his lecture before the general confer
ence of the Methodist church. After
admitting that he had announced his
willingness to be a candidate for the
presidential nomination at Denver the
interview continues:
"win your advocacy Of government and
state ownership of railroads be prominent
in the campaign"
This is not a pressing issue. and do
not intend that It shall be leading issue,
because the people who will press It are
trying to sldetrack the real issue, which
is the regulation of railroad rates." said
Mr.. Bryan with emphasis and determine
tion.
This answer comes far from clearing
the situation, because Mr.. Bryan is on
record as expressing the conviction
that all attempts at government regu-
lation of railroads, including, of
course, the regulation of railroad
rates, which he now declares to be
"the real ISSUE" cannot succeed. In
the Madison Square garden speech Mr..
Bryan said:
have reached the conclusion that there
will be no permanent relief on the railroad
question from discrimination between indi-
viduals and between places and from ex-
tortionate rates until the railroads are the
pre- perty of the government and operated
by the government in the interest of the
people.
In fairness to Colonel Bryan It must
be stated that he has since modified
his expressed views on railroad regu-
lation before the storm of indignant
protest from democrats throughout
the country, particularly from the
south, by declaring In a speech in
Connecticut a few days. later that his
pronouncement was a personal opinion
and not designed to be made a party
tenet until the country had been edu-
Gated on the subject. However, in a
speech at Louisville few weeks later
he drifted back to the original PROPOSE
tion and declared:
Observation has convinced me that gov
ernment ownership can be undertaken on
the plan indicated with less danger to the
country than is involved in private owner
ship as we have had 1t or as we are likely
to have It,
1t must be remembered. too, in this
connection, that Mr.. Bryan's Madison
Square garden speech was not his first
essay of the kind. In July, 1904, he
called on the democrats of the country
through the Commoner, to consider
plan for the government ownership
and operation of railroads" In an ad.
dress before the Iroquois club in Chi.
cago on Jefferson day, 1905, ne elabor.
ated his plan and proposed that the
government should own the trunk
lines, while the states should own and
operate the railroads within theil
borders.
While admitting that the real is
sue is the regulation of railroad
rates." Mr.. Bryan believes that this
cannot be accomplished by congress
slonal action, but can be brought abou
only by government ownership. Boil
in and out of the democratic part,
Mr.. Bryan has made this an issue
which will be more or less prominen
In the coming campaign, with. or with
out his aid or consent.