Gunnison news-champion., 1917-12-28
TAkES ISSUE WITH
OUR RAILROAD EDITORIAL
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mental efficiency. II We did DO that
wc should be reduced to the slavish
conditions Of Germans under their
present autocratic master.
ord NorthclF doubtlcssly saved
England from defca: By his unpopular
and very severe criticism Of the Eng
lish government under Asquith and it
Is night and proper that any Am"ri-
can. IN constructive. spirit, should
point out what he considers danger
Gus governmental policies.
To whip Germany a she must and
will be whipped, is 4 mighty big job,
and our government has 50 many and
such hug" resp possibilities already, is
u faIr 10 try 20 add the enormous
load Of railroad management 10
shoulders already ov"rburdrncd ?
Moreover, would any good be- accom-
pI-hrd7 Tn" ra.rUads are now run
by trained specialists many Of the
abl,si have gone thru merit and ablIl-
- from the humbii--t position TO the
very top and know the railroad bust
moss from \ 20 L. Cannot these men
b." expected 10 DO better under tho pres
rHt complicated situation than politi-
cans. whom We elect 20 run our gov
eminent
IIa- IN" governmental rrgulation Of
food prices been zuCCrssful? What
about thr trrmrnduous high price Of
roai have seen It charged by many
u"w -pap"rs that these prices arr due
10 the ayldIty Of the coal companies,
but my personal "Np"rl -"rms to
sniff tn. -pouzsbIllty TO the govern
mcnt administrator
This fall / bought q carload Of coal
from the Rocky Mountain Fuel Co.
and received bill for $40 per ton
f. o. b. a the mine, but the bill was
stamped. subject TO revision by gov
'nmvntal regulations paid the
bill thinking perhaps there would be
rebate due 20 gOEcrgmrnt pricc-tiN
do"rwaT but some time aftcrward |
received, instead Of 4 rebate, 4 bill for
Sl.3O per ton additional with the in
formation that the government had
fixed the price Of coal at the mine at
$500 per ton.
| had at one time an intimate ac-
quaIntance with many college profes-
sOrs for four years, and then acquir-
ed a wonderful respect for their alb
stract learning and their ability to
lmpart il, but ! also acquired some
thing very near contempt for their
ability to apply their knowledge in
practical way. DR.. Garfield is doubt
less one OF the best college presidents
in the |. S. but believe many prac-
tlcal men from the coal industry could
be obtained to run the coal business of
the country much more successfully
than he has thus far done. And be
lieve the railroads of the country can
be much better handled for the benefit
of the public by trained railroad men
than by any governmental admins
traitor. The conflicting priority orders
of the different departments of the
government have had much to do with
railroad congestion.
No, Mr.. Lake, do not believe that
government ownership is the remedy
| don't own now nor did | ever own a
single railroad security, but | have
greatly regretted the unfair attacks
on the railroads and believe them re-
sponsible for present conditions. be-
lieve the real remedy is fair treatment
for the railroads and government aid
in enabling them to get quickly the
funds necessary for proper terminals,
tracks and equipment, and the repeal,
at least for the period of war, of such
sections of the antitrust laws as pre-
vent the railroads from operating as
one immense single system. Before
the war, government ownership in
Europe compared, as to rates and ser
vice, very unfavorably with our pri-
vately owned railroads, and no doubt,
under war conditions the comparison