The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-09-23
If REGULATION FAILS,
WHAT WILL BIZ, ;:NlEXT?.

- :. 81 7F.s.. 2;':': es''s'sse's"s
The railroads are being investigated
again. or vet. The sight-hour law
carried q clause providing for one
more Investigating body: This body
IS now beginning it's. work. ! Senator
Francis q. >New1ands is It's chairman
and announces that the committee will
make a Thorough Investigation of as
sets and control Of the railways with a
view to acquiring the property by pur-
chase or condemnation proceedings.
III government regulation fails,'' he
oracularly reiterates, government
ownership Of railways is inevitable"
Well, what constitutes a failure?
The government regulation of rail-
ways began about 40 years ago as
result of the "Granger" movement.
Nearly every state in the union passed
laws fixing rates, forbidding rebates
and making Determinations in rates
criminal offense.
Ten years Of this legislation having
produced no results the interstate
commerce commission was created in
1887. This body was composed of
Transportation experts" It was to
curb the rapacity and direct the ener-
g1es OF railroad operation into desir-
able channels. At various times new
legislation added to the power of the
commission. Nearly every session of
congress since it's creation has been
occupied with some phase Of it's &C.
tivity.'
There have been few years during
this time that some special committee
OF congress has not been engaged in
investigating" some phase Of the
railroad question. One Of the duties
Of the interstate commerce commits
sion is to gather information con-
corning the working Of the railroads.
At the present time there is another
committee, besides the one headed by
Senator Newlands, engaged in valu-
ing the railroads. The latest Informal
ton from this committee was that it
had already spent nearly 100000 in
making an inventory Of railroad prop
erty and had little more than begun
, it's task. Long before the inventory is
completed the value will have changed
and another committee will be
needed.
For more than 40 years, then, the
policy Of regulation has been tried.
Every department of government has
had a hand at the game. Every plan
suggested has been tried somewhere.
What has been the results? Never
have there beeen more numerous COM
plants against railroad abuses than
today. Stock manipulation, 'tnigh fl
nance" and fraudulent bankruptcies
| still are used to skin innocent inves-
tors" Rebates, alliances with favored
industries, direct ownership of coal
mines and other natural resources are
all illegal and are all revealed as still
existing by every new investigation.
The public and employees are still
slaughtered in accidents at rate that
must make some military heroes en-
vious. The great majority of the en-
ployes are still worked murderous
hours and paid miserable wages. What
| Improvement has come here has been
the result OF determination of the work.
ers and not Of regulation and has been
confined to the: powerfully unionized
employees. E,E
Why then speak Of the future and
say '4f''- governrne emit regulation fails:
Why not use the past tense, tell the
plain truth and say Regulation has
fai1ed' to do everything it was in
tended to DO and the time for govern
ment ownership is now here?
This subject will occupy the atten-
ton of the next congress even more
than of any previous one. This fact,
| alone, should prove the failure Of reg
ulation. The next congress will pass
on this record of failure. Having
failed to regulate the owners it will
try to hamstrings the employees. In
such a congress-? more than in any
preceding one, labor will need repre-
sentatives. It will need members of
congress who will dare to stand for
what. all admit is the next step in
the railroad problem-governme
Observation-Disclosures Leader.