The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-29
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF
RAILROADS CONDEMNED
PRESENT ORGANIZATION PROVES
ADVANTAGE OF PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP.
(San Francisco Chronicle.)

(San francisco Cnfonlcle,)
THE war has done more to stimu-
late the movement of government
control of railroads than twenty-five
years of propaganda during peace
could have been accomplished. People
everywhere are asking why the gov
eminent should control the railroads
in time of peace if 1t does so in time
of war emergency. Ostensibly the
roads are taken in war time to add to
their efficiency and if this is attained
in war the same should hold true in
normal time
The statement attributed to Sena-
tor Cummins is calculated to mislead,
in that it conveys the impression that
the railroads are now being operated
by the government and that increased
efficiency is due to this, which is quite
untrue.
Instead of assuming control and OPP
Grafton what the government actually
did was to keep hands off, roll aside
legislative obstacles and restrictions
which interfered with efficient opera
ton and give the railroads and ship
pers a free hand to deal with the sit
uation unhampered by federal or state
Interference.
Contrast what Senator Cummins Is
reported to have said with the state
ment of Chairman Hall of the inter-
state commerce commission to the ma
tional association of railway commits
sioners in Washington last month
Chairman Hall said:
"The power to commander the
carriers by rail has not been exer-
cised. SO tremendously have all who
have to do with the problem of trans
portation by rail put their labors to-
gether that the president has not seer
the need of exercising that great pow
er that was placed in him. If there
/ had been reluctant compliance witt
the orders of authority, there never
| would have been produced such re-
suit as has been produced by the
cheerful, hearty and willing acting to-
gether of shippers and carriers of the
country"
From among the ablest railroad tai
ent in the world the railroads created
a governing and directing council
of such master minds as Julius
kruttschnitt, Robert S. Lovett, DAME
willard Howard Elliott and Fairfa!
Harrisonr-and entrusted to this coun
Gil the management of the railway
during the war.
Among the first acts of this organi
cation was consolidation of all tn
lines into a single unit The mex
was to arrange for complete coordin
t alton and cooperation among tn
t roads; and the next was to arrang
for the fullest possible cooperation be
. tween the carriers and shippers.
There has been great waste of eff
cheney because Of delays in loadin
and unloading and nder-loading {
, cars With admirable alacrity tn
shippers responded, entered at ono
on a campaign for greater efficienc
and cooperation, with the result tina
, an increase in efficiency of approx
mately 23 per cent was soon accom-
/ plished. This achievement was effect
: ed entirely by the railroads and shiI
= pers. The part played by the govern
r ment was to remove legislative oh
: stacles-obstacle which in the firs
: place never should have existed
e It appears therefore that instead {
$ government ownership being encoui
7 aged by transporting events as impute
} by the language attributed to Senate
/ Cummins 1t has been very effectivel
discredited.
r Moreover, is there anything in pc
Y litical. history which justifies the sal
! assumption that under governmer
e ownership operation of the railroad
s would be continued in the hands
a men of the type of Kruttschnitt, LoN
l ett Willard, Elliot and Harrison?
1 not and if entrusted to the aVeras
politician as it probably would
what would happen to the service
painful to contemplate. Furthermol
in countries where the railroads al
government owned and operated M
anything of economic value develope
that would justify government owl
ership in the United States? Mar
o countries own and operate their raj
4 roads but the vital economic fact r.
n mains that in none Of them are raj
i way wages so high and cost or tran
8 portation so low as in the Unite
7 States. BY this fact alone is govern
9 ment ownership impeached, tried al
IS convicted.