Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1914-06-04

y
conditions were apt to outweigh the
management of men.
Enormous and unregulated power
bred arrogance in railroad operators.
The arrogance was not uniform, but
the public took the most arrogant as
representing the whole, and the rail-
roads came to be looked upon as chron-
ic offenders against the public.
Attack upon the political power of
the railroads was begun during the
present generation. It's early failure
heightened animosity towards the
transportation companies. Public opin-
ion became more and more fixed, and
resulted ia the enactment of many rail
road laws.
Some of these laws act directly upon
the railroads. Others empower com
missions to fix rates and formulate reg
ulations.
Employees of the railroads have band
ed themselves into unions and pressed
growing demands for larger pay and
easier working conditions.
Shippers have combined into associa-
tons for lower rates and greater priv
ileges.
The railroad mouthpieces protest
noisily at the attacks upon the rail-
roads, but offer no apologies for the
continued robbing Of the railroads by
their homogeneous
The various regulating and lawmak-
ing bodies have not progressed in re-
cent years. They have stopped few
overhigh rates; they have enforced a
number Of regulations, some reasonable
and some unreasonable.
They have done nothing for and have
shown no interest in the ordinary in
vestor, who is now by all means the
greatest sufferer. The ordinary in
weston has shown an utter inability to
protect himself.
The present outlook is that the ship
pers, the employees and the manage
ments win consume the railroad prop
critics, not only leaving the stockholders
and the bondholders impoverished, but
leaving the nation without its greatest
necessity adequate railroad transpor-
tation.
Unless there is radical change in
the trend of events the country will
have to choose between government
owned railroads and no railroads.
The investor, the pillar Of conserva-
tism, " will be coyerted to this plan as
the only one to save what is left of his
Investment.
The promoting element will favor il
because Of the great opportunities for
loot in the process Of turning the rail
roads over to the government
The employees will probably favor it
from the expected larger remuneration
and easier work Of government employ,
although it may turn out that the
strong hand of the government will
prove more exacting than the now
| palsied hand Of the railroad managers.
This editorial is not written in adyo-
cacy of or opposition TO government
ownership Of railroads That question
should be decided on its own merits.
This editorial is written to point out
the fact that, as matters are now drift
ing, government ownership inevitable.
1t is essential for the whole nation,
and particularly those classes especially
interested in railroadng, to appreciate
this fact and conduct themselves with
this idea distinctly in mind
None of these classes is now working
for better transportation. None of
them is working in the interests Of the
railroads as common carriers.
Investors and managers, employees
and shippers have still time to act be-
fore it is too late. If they do not act
soon, ard act reasonably, the time will
come when they can no longer act at
all, and their interests will be taken
over by a new form Of control in which
they will have much less influence than
they have today.