Semi-weekly herald., 1914-01-12
veIy written for the United P. sss.

The purpose OF this organization
is investigation, and not agitation. IL
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 public utilities. Its scope will NOT
be limited to the railroads, but it VIII
include all public utilities. In fact
the first and only active steps its
members have already taken are for
the Investigation of government OWL
ership of telegraph and telephones.
Municipal utilities will receive i'm
mediate attention, and the great ques-
ton of government ownership of the
railroads in all its phases will be di-
vided and classified, and assigned to
different members for investigation
and report.
The need of an organization of
this kind is apparent to every
thoughtful person. Already privata
ownership has many organization,
and many organs that give great and
constant publicity to the advantages
of private ownership. This informa
ton is exceedingly partisan. 1t of
ten omits so much of the truth, or
adopts construction so foreign to
the real facts, that it positively mis-
leads or deceives public thought. I'm
nf =.
disseminating this class of literature
all over the United States, and there
is no organization anywhere to com
bat it or present 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 settled question in every
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 countries of the
first class not adopting it. These
facts, together with the further fact
| that the railroads are constantly de
manding increased rates, in spite of
| the enormous increase in business,
have presented the question of gov
| ernment ownership to the American
people as live issue. They are
careful and cautious people. They
mill ,nt in tho x}e In tn
the present 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 200 million dol
lars per year upon the item Of inter
est alone. They they say, if the gov
| ernment credit is so much better than
the credit of private corporations why
| good credit and save all the net earn
| ings and all the unearned increment
which, added to the interest saving,
would amount to more than 600 mil
lion dollars per year? Is private own
ership earning this heavy toll? @s
| Having once adopted the interro-
| cation point as an emblem, the Am
erican people are now beginning to
ask many questions. If private own
ership is the only efficient method of
handling transportation, why is it
necessary to organize inside parasite
companies to transact the express
/ hncInncS tho claaninr hnSinaGS
the oil tank car business and the re-
frigerator car business. In the coun-
tries of government ownership, they
are not needed. If rates have been
lowered all over the world by govern
ment ownership, why would they not
be lowered in the United States? If
government ownership has improved
the condition of labor all over the
world, why would it not do the same
in our country? If government own
ership has improved the condition of
service all over the world, what would
prevent it from doing the same un-
der our flag? If government own
ership has accelerated the develop
ment OF every industry in all the
other countries why not here? If
government ownership has increased
the safety of life and limb through
out all the world, why not in this
country? If government ownership
has divorced the railroad business
from politics in every country that
has adopted it, why not in the Uni
ted States.
| These are some of the questions
which this organization will under
take to answer. 1t will draw its in
formation from every country in the
world, and it will speak the truth. 1t
will make mistakes, but it will al
ways stand ready to correct them. 1t
will decline to treat this as a parti-
san political question.