Monroe City Democrat., 1908-07-16

n. /
no kind of doubt that if we could restore
our merchant marine and again fill the
seas with merchantmen, the business of
the shipyards would be increased Il hun
dred fold. But beyond that, as 4 ma
tiOnal proposition, the value of Il great
merchant marine can hardly be estimated.
Aside from its enormous value as a COM
mercial agency, it would afford wide
field for the investment of capital and
the employment of labor The ShipyardS
would not suffer, but, on the contrary,
would be the chief benefciaries of a more
liberal policy. In Japan, that masterful
young nation of the Orient, they have
the policy Of free ships, supplemented
with subsidies. 1 visited some of the
shlpyardS OF Japan year ago, and al
though the japanese may purchase ships
anywhere and fly the flag of their coun-
try above them. that policy has not in
jured the Ship-building interests of the
empire. On the contrary. in the yards l
visited, l saw thousands of Stalwart men
employed, and scores of vessels of diff
ferent types and dimensions in the docks
IN course of construction. and l was told
that the repair work in volume and value
was not greatly inferior to the work of
construction. Whenever we adopt Il pol
icy by which cheaper ships can be had,
supplemented by other policies of a con-
StructiVe character, and get upon terms
OF at least approximate equality with
other countries, l will be ready to talk
about subsidies as d part of our mari
time program, and not before. We cannot
hope for any forward movement under
demonstrated both its ability TO destroy
and its incapacity to reconstruct. In
Democratic days We had q great mer-
chant marine; in Republican days we
nave seen 1t waste away. If the people
care to revive this great interest in
large way and on intelligent lines, and
make 1t once more mighty force in COM
merclai development and in the augmen-
tation of national prestige, the work must
be again committed to Democratic hands
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP.
Senator Stone next discussed the reeu-
laliOn of railroads. In dealing with
railroads and the question of transpor-
tation, he said that absolute justice to
both the corporations and the public
should be the guiding rule. Railroads,
he declared, were not only essential to
the business world, but had been a
mighty force in the up-building of great
states, and he believed they ought not
TO be dealt with in narrow spirit or
with prejudice, but should be dealt with
in broad and generous way. He de-
clared that men who invested large
sums in building and equipping railways,
and men who devoted their talents and
energies to the arduOus task of operat-
ing them, were entitled to fair returns
for the money and labor expended. On
the other hand, he said, railroad cor
pOrauOnS are quaSi-public bodies,
clothed with special privileges, and are
organized not solely as a source of profit
to investors, but also to perform a
public service, and hence are subject
to regulation by law. While a generous
profit honestly earned should be allowed
on every dollar legitimately invested, eX-
tortion from the public should not be
| permitted. Railroads should not be made
to suffer a wrong, nor permitted to do
a wrong. Asking justice of the public
they must do justice to the public.
Proceeding on this line, the Senator
said:
Therefore. believe in the supervision
| and regulation of railroads by public au-
| thority. Whenever the managers of rail-
road corporations shall learn to cheer
| fully obey just laws and conform to just
regulaIIons, and whenever they deal, as
| it is their duty TO deal, impartially and
without discrimination, not only with the
| public as whole, but with men and
localities also, and whenever public au-
| thOrity, which itself is often not without
| fault, comes to the point of dealing with
| railroads IN spirit of fairness and with
| out prejudice, the time will be at hand
| for amicable and kindly relations be-
| tween the corporations and the people.
Absolute justice should be the universal
| rule The public should deal fairly by
the roads, and the roads must deal fairly
/ by the people. If a company undertakes
| to increase its stocks or debts for specu-
! lative purposes, intending to exact profits
| on fictitious values, or undertakes by
DETERMINATIONS to build up one person,
| industry or locality to the detriment of
another, or undertakes to do any wrong
| to the public injury, it is the duty of
| the public authority, under the power to
| L
| lieve that the power of regulation, when
| properly applied, is ample to control the
| railroads and to adjust all differences
| between them and the people. l have
never been favorably impressed with the
| idea of government ownership. l fear
| that the evils of ownership would be
| greater than the evils we would attempt
| by that policy to cure l believe if ade-
| quate laws regulating railroads should
| be enacted and rigldly enforced, practi-
| cally all the greater evils of which the
| country complains could be eradicated.
| II l should he mistaken as to that, and
| if after the country has tested regula-
| ton to the limit, and it should fail,
| then it will be time to discuss the QueS-
| ton of government ownership. There is
no need to do that now. 1t is not
question of immediate concern, and
hence it has not been made the subject
of a platform reference. No one pro-
now. Those who believe that policy
practicable or advisable, speak of it
only in a tentative way, as a possible
and ultimate solution of the problem of
from discussing and developing the idea,
for in time the country may conclude
to try il, and it is the part of wisdom
that every phase of this complicated
subject should be elaborated. But now
the discussion is of necessity more dca-
demic than practical, and hence 1 do
not care TO enter upon it at length. In
passing, however, l will say a word con-
ceTning the criticisms that have bean
made of Mr.. Bryan for what he has said
upon that subject He is apprehenSive
road traffic will fail in the future as it
has in the past, and he has expressed
the belief that public ownership will be
nnally reSOrted to as more effective
remedy; and he does not look with that
dread that others do upon the policy of
government ownership. He believes
plan can be worked out to SO divide
ownership and responsibility between the
states and the general government as to
largely Obviate the objections usually
made to the proposition. But, highly as
| esteem Mr.. Bryan and his opinions,
cannot but doubt both the wisdom and
feasibility of the project. Still, he has
said nothing. done nothing, to invite,
much less to merit, the harsh partisan
criticisms showered upon him. He has
simply acted the part of a statesman, as
he always does in fearless manner, by
discussing a great question of paramount
Importance for the enlightenment of the
people. He does not expect nor even
desire that the public ownership of rail-
roads should be taken UP as question
for immediate action. He EnOWs II II
ever comes, it will be years away, and
he says himself that for the present he
favOrs eXhaUsting the power Of the scv-
ernment in regulating the roads before
attempting the more drastic remedy Of
ownership; and he says if regulation
can be made successful, there will be no
need of considering the question OF
ownership. What is there about that to
cause his enemies to cock their ears and
sound a loud alarum? They talk as If
they had never heard of government
ownership before 1t is not new ques-
ton, but an old one. jeremiah Black,
the great Pennsylvania Democrat, dis
cussed it favorably and with signal
ability twenty-five years ago, and
Thomas H. Benton discussed it fifty
years ago. when he made his memorable
fight in Congress for a railroad from the
Mississippi to the Pacific. to be con-
structed, owned and operated by the ma
tional government. 1t was talked about
and written about before Mr.. Bryan was
born, and it has been experimental with
bv many governments in different parts
of the world. Still, Republicans speak
of it as if it were some new and nor
rible thing that Bryan had cOnjured to
alright the country and menace the
liberties of the people. AS matter OF