Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-06

| outright gifts. IL the government
had owned the railroads during the
last fifty years the Weyerhaenser for
tune could never have been made.
The trust problem never would have
arisen in America with public owner
ship of railroads. It will disappear
when private monopoly of railroads
disappears. The Standard Oil Com
pany never could have existed II
there had been public ownership Of
railroads.
''The public ownership of railroads
would break the monopoly power of
the coal trust, the steel trust, and
every other trust that depends on
railroad favors for is control of
prices.
Regulation has not stopped. rebat-
Ing, and, in the opinion of experts, II
never will. Our government Is going
to build a thousand railroad in
Alaska If that is good proposition,
why wouldn't II be ten times better
proposition for the government to
build a railroad from Chicago to New
York through the anthracite regions
to emancipate fifty million people
from the extortions of the anthracite
coal trust?
1.-THE Progressive party of New Jer-
sey declared for public ownership OF
telephones and telegraphs In its 1912
platform. But l call your attention
TO the fact that the United States is
the only first class nation that does not
operate it's own telephone and tele-
graph system. The average price of
kilograms under government owner
ship is just about one-half what we
pay in the United States. We spend
over fifty million dollars year for
kilograms. The people of New Zea-
a IN hat +aIa
graph system send eight times as
many kilograms per person as we do.
IT believe the advantage of public
ownership of telephones would be
even greater. The New York Tele-
phone Company stubbornly resisted
the demand for a statement of their
receipts and expenditures In New
York city. President Bethel yielded
and gave the figures. The profits for
1912 were nearly SO per cent. of the
total receipts.
Everybody knows that the rail-
roads and other public service cor
porations have been the greatest
source of political corruption in
America for the last twenty-five
years. Public ownership will COM
pletely take away the incentive Of
the railroads and other utility COM
panies to corrupt politics and con-
troll the government. 1t will be we'll
worth any experiment in public own
ership to stop the wholesale eorrup-
ton of politics, the purchase of leeis-
lation, and the control of judges and
executives. Regulation has not driven
the public service companies out OF
politics and never Will.
But there is a problem In America
that is more important. 1t is the in
creasing undeserved poverty of the
many and the increasing unearned
wealth of the few. Nearly all the
great unearned fortunes in this
country consist chiefly of wealth
taken from the pockets of the people
by the manipulation of these public
service monopolies and the watering
and exploitation of their stocks.
want the Progressive party to de-
clare for government ownership of
railroads and other public utilities.
because believe We must have big,
vital national issue to unite the real
rrogressives of all parties in our
party"
Colby Urges Caution.
Mr.. Colby said: Before we adopt
this resolution which seeks to place
the National Progressive Party on
record as favoring government owner
ship let us understand what 1t means.
TT means an investment of
81, 500, 100000 for the purchase of 1900
railroad companies operating 240,O0O
miles Of track, and employing some
100000 men. 1t means a further in
vestment of $1,000, 900, COO to take over
the telephone and telegraph lines with
l, $50. 600 miles of wire and employing
about 10000 men and women, giving
to the dominant political party control
over the distributing and circulation
of news and an indirect influence over
a number of votes greater than Presl-
dent Wilson'S plurality over Colonel
Roosevelt.
as the Progressive party ready to
adopt this program? / think not, ana
for the reason that 1t has comm .tteo
itself to the policy of regulation ana
to change from the policy of regula-
ton to that of government owner
ship before the first has been given a
fair and thorough trial, would be I'M
wise and wasteful, unless 1t can be
established by preponderance OF
evidence that regulation has already
failed and that government owner
shin would be successful. Mr.. Os-
borne has said that the failure or
regulation can be established and ne
points to the Rock Island and Frisco
scandals and to the New York, New
the contrary, these Illustrations prove
conclusively the efficiency of 'regu-
lation.' / have heard no one blame
the Interstate Commerce Commise- on
or the policy of regulation for these
unfortunate failures, Regulation, II
is true. brings unsound financial POLL
cies to light and that which Is re-
yealed shocks the public confidence
and disaster follows. This Is as IT
should be. Government ownership
would not guarantee efficient manage
ment. and we know it would not turn
the searchlight of publicity upon its
own shortcomings. 1t would be the
height of folly to change our policy
Just as we are proving that regula-
| ton through the exercise of the po-
| lice power can secure all the Dement'S
| of ownership without assuming ANY
| of the burdens.
1--WE know that in England, and In
Europe generally, there is no salts,
factory evidence that doVernmen,
| ownership has reduced the cost OF
| living. Increased wages, decreased
rates shortened the hours of labor oil
improved service. In fact, most gov
| ernment-owned enterprises are run a.
| a loss, and when this is SO majority
of non users of public utilities art
taxed to make up the deficit for the
| benefit of minority OF users. Ii
Germany, between the years 1900 ant
1910, the cost of living went up 3S pei
cent, while in the United States i
! went up Sc per cent. In Germany
under government ownership, 1t cost!
the shipper 14.1 mills to move tor
| of freight one mile. In the United
States under private ownership, /
costs the shipper 7.57 mills per toI
per mile.
1.-THE government telephone anC
telegraph services in England ant
Europe are inferior to ours ant
obargas are M lower on any fai