Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-22
U.S.. OWNERSHIP OF
UTILITIES FORCED
CONGRESSMAN RAMSEYER SAYS
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
DOOMED TO FAIL.
Especial Correspondence

washington, ID. g., Dec. ~. Con
gresham Ramseyer of the sixth dis
trict of Iowa takes an interesting view
of the probable influence of the Ger
man peace offer, and the concluding
phases Of the European war, upon
American problems. He believes that
what he calls the group action" or col
| lective action, as contrasted with the
individualism that has been the char
acteristic of American institutions, has
been forced upon western Europe by
the war and that with peace it will
sweep into the United States. It's
first effect in this country, he believes,
wilk be an increase in the demand for
public ownership and operation of the
railroads
1T is to be assumed" he said to
your correspondent the other day,
that the American people will not
give up the idea of private control Of
the railroads as a matter of pure polit-
lcal or economic principle. But they
Will act, and congress will act, in each
particular set of circumstances, accord
ing to what seem to be the necessities
of the moment. And while we may
pass regulatory legislation this winter
which may tide us over for years to
come, it seems to me that if great
railroad strike took place it would be
quite possible that the government
might within a few days reach the
determination to take over the proper
'ty and operate it henceforth"
That would come. the congressman
pointed out, not from sense of
theoretical correctness, but from a
sense of necessity belief that all
other steps would be useless.
Course Is Being Forced.
In Ramseyer's opinion, government
ownership of railroads is being forced
by the unsentimental facts of Ameri.
can business. quite as much as by the
facts of American national defensive
needs. Europe has been put in the
crucible of war, and the nations hav-
ing the most highly developed govern
ment control Of transportation have
been the most efficient in the fighting.
Germany has done So we'll with her
own railroad system that she has ap.
piled the same control to food. and
with good results. England has learn
ed the lesson, although too late to
catch up with the initial advantage
gained by Germany Now that peace
terms are being proposed by Germany
and her allies, If England is to refuse
to discuss peace it must be because
she counts on Lloyd Georges ability
to out organize the Germans. and to
make the British government supreme
over all private activities in Great
Britain, for carrying forward the war.
Government ownership will go farther
in England than in Germany, or Lloyd
George cannot hold the English people
to his war program.
Matter Of Self Defense.
This change in the whole jndnstria!
structure of Great Britain Ramseyer
believes, will so increase the CONNER
cial power of that nation that the
United States. in sheer self defense.
must reorganize its own Commercial
machinery. In this machinery the rail.
road system comes first We must
have better roads, more of them and
cheaper rates to seaboard.
Recent hearings before the Joint
committee of congress on interstate
commerce have shown that the Ameri-
can railroads have virtually ceased to
increase their mileage. They say they
cannot get money with which to build,
The chance that they will be permitted
to charge higher rates to the shipper
appears small. So long as they are
operated for profit. in other words.
they will remain crippled to meet new
European conditions. That is why the
Iowa congressman and scores of other
members of the house are watching
alphabetically the advance of the
government ownership idea abroad
They believe it will finally solve the
American railroad problem. They are
not impatient for the change: they
simply feel that ii must come