The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-09-14

GREAT RAILROAD
PROBLEM
Editor Daily World:

Editor Daily World:
There seems to be abroad in the
land considerable alarm and more
perplexity as to the solution of what
it has pleased writer's to designate,
1.-THE Railroad Problem" Rumor is
rampant that the now deceased rail-
road wizard would soon form a rail-
road combine that would make all
other systems look like a third-rate
"jirk-water" line. And If we give
any force to past events and take
into consideration material evolution
one does not necessarily need to be
a prophet nor son of a seer to pre-
dict with a large degree of accuracy
the realization of such a combine,
even though E. H. Hartman is dead.
All the croakers and knockers in the
country can not stay the tide of ma
terial progress any more than a child
can dam our Columbia river with l..
shovelful of sand. From the first,
railroads have continued to combine
and have understandings" reform
ers, rate regulation and the North
ern Securities case to the contrary
Notwithstanding. To say that they
can in the future be prevented from
further combinations Is to fly square,
~ in the face of the logic of the past.
It has long since been demonstrate
ed that railroads are absolutely es-
sential to the life and development
of any new country and to the con-
tinued life and prosperity of any old
country, hence care must be taken
not to cripple or deter railroad build
ing. AS a rule every one is always
ready to give anything to get rail-
road and after they get It are willing
| to do anything to knock 1t. The rail-
roads make all kinds of promises
when they are getting rights-of-way
and then forget all about them after
the road is In operation. So it is
plain that there is a point Of fric-
ton between the people and the rail-
roads. 1t Is to produce harmony
here that much legislation has been
ground out Of our law-mils of late
But rate legislation has proven in
adequate and will continue so as long
as the railroads are honeycombed
with high salaried officers and their
stock is largely water, in order to run
up the expense bill to make it appear
to the supreme courts that they are
not making a reasonable profit On in
vestments.
And now as a remedy to all cor
porate ills the present occupant Of the
White House has come forward with
the Corporation Tax" But this will
be worse than rate regulation. 1t
viii get some money all right but
the people viii have to pay it. The
burden will only be shifted.
/ When Bryan returned from his
hobnobbing stunt with oriental, oc-
cidental and European royalty and
made his granistand play in Madison
i Square garden, New York, he had the
right pig by the tail-government
ownership-but when the New Eng
land Democratic leaders turned
thumbs down" he dropped that pigs
tail like it was red hot iron-not he
for anything that would endanger his
third nomination But in his heart
he knew he was right. And all po-
litical parties are coming to see it.
They are being forced nearer and
nearer to the doctrine of government
ownership-not government regula-
ton. The federal government Is daily
encroaching upon the great corpora
tiOns which constitute public utilities
and as certain as water runs down
hill 1t is only matter Of time until
the people will own them as they do
the post Office now, for that is the
only source of relief.
It can not be explained now, to the
casual observer, the conservative or
to he who "knows it ALL" just why
and how this will be accomplished,
but as all other problems evolve and
work themselves out so will this one.
Both the old political parties are
taking very advanced positions now
| on the powers of the federal govern
ment-positions that would have
Mortified them to think of twenty
years ago and at the present rate it
Il IL