White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-01
Of NO BENEFIT
TO THE PEOPLE
CLAIM THAT GOVERNMENT
POLICY OF sEGREGATING
COMBINES Is DETRIMENTAL
TO PUBILC's INTERESTS.

The Democratic party realizes, let
US hope, that all real craftsmanship
is constructive and tends to build vi
a nation in the big things and little
things.
At present the government al
Washington, following its action in
compelling the separation of the
telephone and telegraph companies.
has begun a suit to compel the
Southern Pacific and the Central Pa
cife railroads to separate and work
absolutely apart.
1t is necessary to talk plainly
about the presumably well meant eff.
forts Ito regulate business" The
Sherman law, and all law, is intend
ed-by the people. at least to pro
tect the people. to preserve the rights
of the weak, and to encourage al.
honest and constructive work by men
OF ability.
To compel separation of the tele-
phone and telegraph lines was an in
reference with efficiency, an inter.
ference with public service. a stupio
refusal to realize the fact that com
binations of value to the public must
be encouraged under public super.
vision. The telephone and the tele
graph wires naturally work together
for economy and public service
The telephone companies should
have had the telegraph wires ant
served the public by taking the tele
graph messages from the telephone
But the government forbade, for the
sake of a theory and false %interpreta
ton of the Sherman law. that which
was beneficial to the public and in
furious to no one
The present attack on the working
combination of the Southern Pacific
and the Central Pacific system-foi
II is only n SYSTEMS in character
the same as the unwise order regard
ing the telegraph and telephone lines
The Southern Pacific and the Contra
Pacific are not two separate railroad
systems. They constitute a railroad
scheme for serving the people OIL
California and the west. They are
interlacing lines. II is a great con
yenience for the merchants and the
manufacturer to deal with them al
a unit. For the United States gov
eminent to attack the ninety-nine
year lease under which the Southern
Pacific manages the Central Pacific
is childish interference with big bust
ness in the good sense of the word
With the interstate COM
mission fixing rates for freight ant
for passengers, combinations In rail
road ownership cannot be made an
agency for extortion. The govern.
ment says: so much a mile per ton.
SO much a mile per passenger" The
government should permit intelligent,
railroad men to form legitimate.
money-saving, time-saying combina-
lions that will permit them to give
better service to the public and bet.
ter returns to the stockholders while
obeying the commerce commands as
to the rates per ton mile and pei
passenger mile.
When these two railroads are COM
PEELED to give up the combination nm
der which they work-benefcial fol
Goth and for the public-they arr
compelled to spend money uselessly
compelled to spend on unnecessary
competition, energy, time and cash
that might be divided between pub
lie service and private profit. 1t will
be necessary TO spend money solicit
ing, c~anvassing, In multiplying
freight agents and ticket Offices
without promoting public conven-
fence or lowering a single rate. And
the roads will be compelled to &C
back to the old system under which
the brains of railroad men were USED
to fight each other instead of beine
used to increase business by i'm
proving the service. The American
citizen knows that the railroads built,
up the country as the country builds
up the railroads. The farmer knows
that If he once sold his corn at ter
cents a bushel for fuel 1t was because
he had no railroad to haul IL.
The people do not intend that the
railroads shall harass Or exploit then
or, practice extortion-governmenl
power through the interstate com
merce commission takes care of that
Control of railroad rates and prac-
tises by the government is neces-
sary and inevitable. But II Is not t.
the public advantage that organizer.