The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-04-04

FOR THE PEOPLE
istor : lanted Junior Senator
cradle Arguments
in Favor OF olic Ownership of
All the Railroads.
SEIZURE OF ROADS NECESSARY.

Sweeping Indictment of Private Own
ership of Public Utilities And a
Most Lucid Presentation of the
Evils Arising Therefrom.
In concluding a somewhat lengthy
and highly Illuminating speech in the
United States senate recently, in
which he strongly favored the Gov
ernment ownership of the railroads,
Senator Hiram Johnson, of Califor-
MIA, said:
II would not wish to be unjust to the
railroads of the Nation, and I have
listened with varying emotions to the
eloquent appeals that have been made
in their behalf upon this floor, but,
in our-scrupulous care to see that JUS
tice is done to the railroads of the Ma
tion, let US do justice to the people as
well.
Strangely enough, some of the ad-
vocates of the present measure have
quite earnestly disagreed with the
Presidents policy in taking over the
railroads, and have endeavored to
demonstrate that the railroads have
been more sinned against than sin
ming, and that, but for governmental
interference, they would have effic-
iently performed their functions. It
is interesting to observe that these
gentlemen, while disagreeing with the
President, while asserting the rail-
roads had done their fully duty, and
that they could have continued, if un-
hindered and unhampered, to perform
such service as the Government de-
manded, are enthusiastically in favor
of the present bill. I am in hearty
accord with the action taken by Pres
ident Wilson. believe his seizure of
the railroads was timely and wise,
and not only timely and wise but alb
solutely necessary for the safety of
the Nation. do not, for one moment,
believe that the railroads were pre-
vented from performing their full
duty to the Government by their prior
ity orders issued by different depart
ments. I recognize that, owing to an
utter lack Of system, orders were is
sued by one, then another, and then
another of the departments of the
Government, and that these orders
were difficult Of enforcement and in
terfered in some degree with celer-
ity of transportation. Such system
as has been developed in respect Of
these priority orders is intolerable.
The difficulty, of course, has been due
to the lack Of correlation and coor-
dination, of which so much has recent
ly been heard upon this floor. But
however annoying these orders may
have been to the railroad companies,
and however they may have sporad-
ically interfered, they could not have
been the real cause Of the breakdown
of the transportation service of the
Nation. The Senator from Arkansas
has ably demonstrated this fact. For
many years past students of railway
transportation have realized the ne
cessity for some sort of Capitalization
and naturalization. Instances have
come to the notice of us all-instanc-
es ever recurring and ever increasing
which have proven that efficient ma
tional transportation demanded rail-
road naturalization. Prior to our de-
claration Of war this had become more
and more obvious. The stress of war
simply furnished the actual demon
.stration. 4
After some months Of useless and
impotent endeavor the railroad men,
as well as all others, realized that,
under the system existing in our coun-
try, with the difficulties and restric-
tions surrounding the railroads, nei-
ther service nor efficiency could be ac-
corded in this crisis. Now, the lesson
is what? It is, first, the great trunk
lines Of the country must be nation
allied; and, secondly, there must be
one directing central power Of this
naturalization system. It is plain
that this naturalization can not be
accomplished by competitive roads.
There must be, to attain the desired
result, an absolute unity Of purpose,
and with private ownership Of lines
Of different equipment, different pow
er, varying efficiency, such coordin-
alton and naturalization are utterly
impossible. The conclusion, therefore,
is irresistible that we must ultimate
" do in time Of peace what we have
been driven to do by stress in time
Of war, and the logical outcome Of
the present situation is, Of course,
permanent control Government own
ership.
The present bill, while allowing
excessive compensation to the rail-
roads, fixes time limit ia which the
property shall Be held Of 18 months.
It may be remarked that, with the
close Of the war, 18 months viii re-
main without = definite policy on the
part Of the United States, while these
railroads will be under the absolute
control Of the Director General It
seems scarcely possible that Tor this