The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-06-08

torneys always led the Onslaught
against that reform.
The state at that session witness
ed most shameful betrayal OF tn.
public trust, and after the legfsfa
ture adjourned rewards began TO fol
low. A leader of the Senate lodge
moved out Of a small law Office int
/ the law headquarters OF the STANDARD
Oil Company OF Kansas. Another
member, who came to Topeka i'm
pecunious, blossomed out as a capi.
talist after the session and made 2
grand tour Of Europe and the Orient
| Federal Courts are Railroad Forts
| Whenever a federal Judge was to
be appointed from the west / saw the
railroad attorneys of Kansas flock to
Washington to line up senators and
Representatives for their man. The
value in cash to the railroads and cor
porations Of a federal judge for life.
who has the corporation viewpoint.
is we'll known. The railroads are in
politics for business.
The Wall street interests that fl
nance the railroads and dominate
their political policies have also fl
nanced the big business consoHda-
tions, combinations and trusts of the
country. They are all 50 interviewer
and interlocked that dissolution de-
crees Of the Supreme Court of the
United States now seem to help rath-
er than hinder them, as witness the
rapid rise in market value OF the
Standard Oil and Tobacco Trust
stocks when the Supreme Court dis
solved them.
The federal government can never
effectively control monopolies until
it controls the source of the politi-
cal influence that makes unlawful
combines and trusts possible.
If the political power of the rail-
roads in the several states does not
now stand between the people of the
United States and a responsive rep
certainly is a menace to our form of
government
The Outlook of July 80, 1910, said
editorially: THE railroad question
is another form of the darnental
issue between oligarchy and demo-
cracy." Every passing year makes
the absolute truth of this statement
more apparent.
There was a period when it seem
ed to me that rigid control would
be better than public ownership; and
though forced by the logic Of events
to see that the railroads were govern
ing the country and that the little
brigandage Of our state capitals was
duplicated in national affairs, | still
hesitated before believing that gov
eminent ownership was necessary to
remove this evil and dangerous in
fuence.
1t seemed that the achievements
We had made in railroad building,
the advance we had made in many
matters of transportation over GER
tain other countries, would warrant
giving the old system further trial;
facts, under the surface Of things, he
is compelled to question the wisdom
and justice and soundness of the
policies and principles underlying pri-
vate ownership of railroads. Not on
" is the transportation question in
volved in this problem, but it is
closely allied with many other great
questions disturbing the country.
Therefore. having come through
the long slow way of circumstance
and events to my present belief, it
seems wise to justify that belief with
such facts as Investigations have dis
closed and such arguments as the
facts adduce. The fundamental idea
OF American government is that il
ner as TO benefit the largest possible
number OF people. 1t is a self-evi
dent fact, and needs no proof, that
anything which tends to carry out
this idea is not in conflict with our
The Question
Government ownership of railroads
means simply yesting the title of our
properties in the government
for the benefit Of all the people alike |
Private ownership Of the great rail
roads of this country means the vest
ing OF the title in a corporation and
the few Railroads are and always
he nanacSifA nd