Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-11-12
STATE RAILROAD COMMISSIONER
MAKES VIGOROUS REPLY TO
RAILROAD HEAD.
IOWA RATE EXPERT
sTiRs UP MONEY KINGS
Thorns's Statement That Public Own.
ership Would Save Millions Brings
Many Rsjoindsrs and Iowa Commits
sioner Comes Back With Figures to
Back His Claims.
Special to Times Republican.

! Special to Times Republican.
! Des Moines, Nov. 12.-Government
ownership OF railroads sprang into ma
tional prominence as live issue the
other day by reason of the presentation
| Of some significant figures on the saw
| ing that might be effected. This was
! by Clifford Thorne. chairman Of the
Iowa commission. who laid the matter
before the national convention Of rail-
way com missioners.
/ The prominence OF the issue was at
| once recognized by the railroad owners
and those VINO represent them. Presi-
! dent E. P. Ripley. of the Santa Fe. one
of the most aggressive of the big rail-
road presidents, promptly attacked Mr..
Thornes figures. The Railway Age
Gazette. the organ of all the railroads,
came out with an attack on Mr.. Thorne
and attempted to ridicule him and his
statements. The Wall Street journal,
organ Of the big interests. got into the
controversy very quickly with per
sonal attack on Mr.. Thorne.
Chairman's Thorne's figures dealt
with the saving that could be effected
in fixed charges by substituting the
na tional credit for that OF the railroad
corporations, thus reducing the interest
charges and cutting out the heavy pay
. irlents IF dividends BY the prompt
acceptance of the gage Of battle by
the railroads the matter was projected
before the public as live Issue,
Thorne Makes Reply.
Mr.. Thorne has written President
Ripley IN reply TO his letter calling in
question the accuracy of statistics
given and conclusions drawn. Mr..
Thorne gives additional figures to back
UP his statements and presents the
matter very fully. His letter follows:
Your esteemed favor CT recent date
containing certain comments on the
government ownership of railroads was
duly received. I heartily agree with
YOU as TO the grave importance of this
subject to the American public. In my
original statement I summarized all
the figures given in the following
words:
The rriy ate ownership Of American
railroads is costing us more than
s40o, 0OG.cO0 a year.
! This statement has precipitated a
somewhat extended discussion. The
editor Of the Railway Age-Gazette. the
| Official mouthpiece-par excellence
for Am ecican railroads, makes the fol-
lowing editorial comment, in the course
of a lengthy article on the subject:
| If, as Mr.. Thorne figures, a saving OF
s4641 80 in the cost Of railway api-
tai could be made under government
ownership. the Railway Age-Gazette
would declare for that policy right
now Perhaps there may be others OF
the same opinion.
The Wall Street Journal. the Well
known financial publication Of New
York City. has Joined in the chorus Of
bitter criticism. in its leading editorial
Of last week. You say. in your letter.
that my conclusion that saving Of
$3.50 100000 or any sum approach
this, could be made under government
| ownership. is without foundation
1T would seem that If my position
can be substantiated, it may be worthy
OF consideration at the hands Of the
public Therefore I have selected the
letter from you for the purpose Of
making reply TO some Of these state
ments that have been hurled at me
during the past few days.
1Cu were HOI present WHen the
statement was made at the recent an
nual convention Of the National Asso-
I citation Of Railway Commissioners in
| Washington, D. c. and for your ben
eft, I desire to inform YOU that I
specifically stated that did not make
the computations; but that they were
made by a competent statistician Of
! over twenty years experience. This
! gentleman came to us this past sum-
mer with high recommendations from
I two OF the leading railroads in the
country, for whom he had worked in
the past. I accepted his figures with
! implicit confidence. Since receiving
your letter I have made personal
! check Of the figures. I accept full re-
sponsibility for using our statistician's
| figures. I find them correctly tran
scribed from the reports Of the inter-
state commerce commission; but I find
some applications with which I do not
agree I also find certain mistakes in