Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1914-01-09
BY S. w. BrOOkhart.
Written for the United Press)

The purpose of this organization is
investigation, ard not agitation. 1t
will first learn the facts and then
give them publicity. 1t believes the
American people are entitled to know
the truth about both sides of the great
questions of public ownership of pub
lie utilities. Its scope will not be linn
tied to the railroads, but it will in
clude all public utilities. In fact, the
first and only active steps its men,
bers have already taken are for the
investigation of government owner
ship of telegraph and telephones. Mu-
nicipal utilities will receive immedi-
ate attention, and tie great question
of government ownership OF the rail
roads in all its phases will be divided
and classified, and assigned to diff
ferent members for investigation and
report.
The need of an organization of this
kind is apparent to every thoughtful
person. Already private ownership
has many organizations and many or
gans that give great and constant
publicity to the advantages of pri-
vate ownership. This information is
exceedingly partisan. 1t often omits
so much of the truth, or adopts
construction so foreign to the real
facts, that positively misleads or de-
ceives public thought. Immense sums
of money are spent in disseminating
this class of literature all over the
United States and there is no organ
ization anywhere to combat it or pre-
sent the whole truth.
1t has been said that the transpor-
tation question has never been set
tied anywhere in the world except by
public ownership. 1t is likewise said
that it is a settled question in every
country of the world where public
ownership prevails. 1t is also true
that public ownership does prevail in
three-fourths of the countries of the
world. England and the United States
are the only coutries of the first class
not adopting it. These facts, togeth
er with the further fact that the rail
roads are constantly demanding in
creased rates, in spite of the enor-
nous increase in business, have pre-
scented the question of government
ownership to the American people as
live issue. They are careful and
cautious people. They will not ad-
vance in the dark. Up to the pres
ent time they only have glimpses of
the light.
Occasionally a great railroad man
like B. F. Yoakum of the Frisco ad-
mits they would save S200,000,000
per year upon the item of interest
alone. Then, they say, if the govern
ment credit is so much better than
the credit of private corporations, why
not capitalize all the railroads on this
good credit and save all the net earn
ings and all the unearned increment
which, added to the interest saving,
would mount to more than S600,000,-
900 per year? Is private ownership
earning this heavy toll?
Having once adopted the interro-
cation point as an emblem, the Amer
lean people are now beginning to ask
many questions. If private ownership
is the only efficient method of hand
ling transportation, why is it neces-
sary to organize inside parasite COM
panies to transact the express bust
ness, the sleeping car business, the
oil tank car business and the refrig
orator car business. In the countries
of government ownership they are not
needed. If rates have been lowered
all over the world by government
ownership, why would they not be
lowered in the United States? If gov
eminent ownership has improved the
condition of labor all over the world,
why would it not do the same in our
country? If government ownership
has improved the condition of serv-
ice all over the world, what would
prevent it from doing the same under
our flag? If government ownership
has accelerated the development of
every industry in all the other coun-
tries, why not here? If government
ownership has increased the safety
to life and limb throughout all the
world, why not in this country? II
government ownership has divorced
the railroad business from politics in
every country that has adopted it.,