The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-03
HOW LONG, O
 LORD, HOW LONG?

HOW much longer are the A1nerlcan people going to put up with freight discrimination, extortionate charges, inadequate service, wholesale murder, and genial thuggery of our privately owned railroads?
 It would seem that it is about time for them to reaKze that they are a laughing stock in the eyes Of REALLY civilized countries.
 They acquiesce supinely = almost without protest-in outrageous abuse, highway robbery, and grand and petty larceny, with a beautiful and docile in- difference-an imperturbab1e state, highly praiseworthy in a four-legged jackass-but hardly becoming the two legged variety.
 Now in Switzerland-where intelli- gence Is universal-the people own their own railroads, and run them in their own interest, and for their own profit. When a protest went up re- gently against the rise in food prices, the freight rates on food stuffs were reduced. Under our glorious system of private ownership the rates were in creased.
 In Switzerland you can buy a monthly passenger ticket, good 24 a0uIS d udY 0Il any lId1h SAGs tOs or s102.0O for the entire year. Think of riding by the month for 40c day. or soc a day by the yeari In Switzer- land there are 2,40O miles of road that cost $15O,OOO a mile when taken over from the private owners, who were charging 6 to 10 cents a mile. Think of this, my dearly beloved committing brethren, who contribute so lavishly to 0fr Sf fa n inc Owners of America! There is no val i'd reason why the rates in this coun- try should be higher than En Swift zerland-except private ownership.
 Let this idea sink in and take root Until the people-and especially the women voters-without whom it seems impossible to bring a country to it's highest efficiency-has proven by the economically advanced position of the countries where universal suffrage ex- themselves in the study of Politics, which is the Social Hope; and Economies. which is the house. keeping of the country, these gallant gentry, the railroad owners, will con tinue to infuse larger and more gen. erous quantities of aqua pura into their bond issues-upon which. hand some dividends must be paid.
 These same dividends-needless to say-come out of the pockets of the people in the shape of extortionate freight and passenger charges.
 There is much clamor for the en- forcement of the Interstate Commerce and the Sherman Laws. Much stress is laid upon the efficiency of an ap- peal to public service commissions Frequently appointed by the railroads themselves).
 Taft, and other sturdy smitters with thistle down wands, are still in the Kindergarten class in Economies.
 You can no more regulate railroad extortlon than you. could Interstate Commerce the business of Ali Baba and his little band, or sherman Law Captain Kidd, and his gallant crew.
 There is one way, and one way only, to regulate another mans business that is to own that business.
 Nationalize the railroads. If we are rich enough to give to private indi- viduals untold millions with which to construct privately owned railways, we are rich enough to build railroads for distribution continue to be privately
  at the mercy of an avid tribe of mo- nopolists, rebaters and jugglers; who have absolute power of life or death over shippers and manufacturers who are obliged to depend upon them to move products.
 If an eight-year old school boy couldn't see this with one hand tied behind his back, he ought to be gently but firmly escorted to the Home for the Feeble Minded, and left there.
 Think this over, for we are rapidly approaching the parting of the ways. It should be obvious to all that while our legislative bodies are drugged with tainted gold, all our restrictive meas ures are merely ropes of sand, em- ployed futilely and impotently.
 There is but one solution. Either we must own these huge monopolies, or they will own us-bag and baggage There is no middle course.
 DIR. EDWIN F. BOWERS.