The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-06-09

/ investment. with which railroad
properties stand charged" Contrast
that record with the clean, honest,
efficient government construction OF
the Panama canal.
Regulation Right now the rail-
state Commerce Commission empow-
cred to pass on all their stock and
bond issues, in order that, as the
railroad securities commission warn
securities shall have a practical guar
anty of face value by the United
States government.
| Regulation No; it does not reg
ulate in spite of the splendid service
| of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion and the lesser though able ser
vice of the several state commissions
A few years ago, as some one has
pointed out, everything was going to
be made all right by allowing the
railways to cooperate. pool or unite
with the interlocking directorates.
under government supervision and
regulation; but now everything is
going to be made all right by break
ing up railway cooperation and pool
| ing and unity of interests through
interlocking directories. And so it
has gone.
President Ripley, Of the Santa Fe,
and many lesser lights in the railway
world are stating without reserva-
ton that government ownership OF
railways is coming, and they are pre-
dieting that all kinds of disasters
| will happen when it does come.
If private ownership is a success,
if regulation is effective and satisfac-
! tory, why is there such a widespread
demand for government ownership
OF railways and no demand at all for
private ownership of parcel post?
Universally, railway systems have
been founded by private capital; but
| today practically every country in
! the world, except the United States
and Great Britain, have entered on
the project of public ownership.
No railway system once taken by
| the government has been permanent
ly returned to private ownership.
According to Professor Richard
T. Ely: "Our American railroads are
iincomparably more in politics than
the German railroads.
President Hadley, who is opposed
to public ownership, says: In judg-
ing the railroad policy of Belgium
by its results, all must unite in adj
uniting that they are in many re-
spects extraordinarily good
Travel in Germany is six times
safer than in the United States, and
it is fifteen times safer in Belgium.
Mr.. Acworth, the leading English
lish authorities, that, n spite of
over three thousand regulative en-
actments by parliament in a country
where laws are made to be enforced
regulation does not regulate Private
Ownership in England emphasizes;
the tendency everywhere under such
ownership and control toward con-
centration OF wealth; while public
ownership and control, as in Bel
GUM, Germany, Denmark and New
Zealand, tend toward diffusion of
wealth.
II the question were submitted to
the voters of the United States, how
many men and women would vote to
turn over our postal service and par
eel post to the express companies OR
] to Mr.. Rockefeller or to Mr.. Hill? A
fair comparison of the postoffice de-
partment, where service is the end
and aim of it's methods, manage
ments and operation, with the rail-
way companies and their parasitfcal
lparlor car and express companies,
where profits are of first and service
of secondary Importance; will be
valuable to those who are unpreju-
diced and interested only in the
greatest good to the greatest num-
Der. Is there anything SO blind and
stupid as the familiar but unthink-
ing statement made by defenders of
private privilege in this country that
the failure of public ownership and
Operation is proved by the postal SER
tvice?
IL Rockefeller Carried the Mails
Where did these critics of the pos
tai service get the idea that this SER
vice compares unfavorab1y with rail-
way service or with big business Of
any kind in private management?
Il In what respect does it compare