Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-18
MR.. McADOO SHOULD EXPLAIN

bOts W FNtNV'o'S '"'N''N'''
Ownership in His Railroad Statement?
MIR. McADOO'S little statement of the
A'A results which the Government seeks
to accomplish through its administration
of the railroads should be studied with
great care by every believer in the old
fashioned Jeffersonian doctrine that that
Government is the best which governs
the least.
There was time when the Democrats
believed it, but the historical Democratic
party seems to have ceased to exist. 1t
does not yet appear how far it will go in
the direction opposite to that which JEFF
ferson regarded as wise. but it is on the
way and it is gathering speed with the
passing months.
1t was supposed that the Government
took over the railroads solely for the
purpose of consolidating their admins
tratiou and making them more efficient
in winning the war. But. according to
Mr. McAdoo, the Gov >rnment had other
ends in view. Here are the four things
which it sought to accomplish, stated,
as Mr.. McAdoo says, ''in what ] con-
ccive to be the order of their impor-
tance":
First. The winning of the war.
Second The service of the public.
which is the purpose for which the
railroads were built and given the
privileges accorded them-the object
,f haip ish
service rather than TO make money
Third. The promotion of a spirit Of
sympathy and a better understanding
as between the administration of the
railways and its 1000 600 employees, as
well as its 100, 900 600 patrons.
Fourth. The application Of sound
economies.
He explains that the men managing
the roads with him have not yet accom-
plished these results, but he says, with
their continued cooperation feel
assured of future in which the lessons
of our accumulating experience will be
effectively employed to humanize the
science of railroading.'
Mr. McAdoo might have said that his
second, third and fourth purposes were
incidental to the first. But he does no
such thing. He allows Us to assume that
besides taking over the railroads to
assist in winning the war the Admins
tration had another purpose, which was
to demonstrate that the railroads could
be operated by the Government more
economically and more humanely than
they have been operated by their owners,
and that the Government could also give
better service than had been provided
under the old system.
He could have made it very clear, if
he had chosen. that he did not intend to
institute any invidious comparisons be
tween his management of the railroads
and their management under the direc-
tion of the shareholders; but he seems
to have taken particular pains not to say
anything which would prevent the
friends of Government ownership and
operation of the railroads from believing
that he is with them.
If the Democratic party in 1920 should
put Government-ow ownership plank in it's
platform it will hark back to this state
ment of date of June II, 1918, as laying
the foundation for it in an official decla-
ration from one of its leaders.
We hold no brief for the railroads
They can look out for themselves. But
we do hold brief for the people of
America. And we are confident that
they can be better served by privately
owned railroads properly and impartially
regulated by the Government than by
railroads operated by Government Off
cials subject to congressional direction,
with an eye on the voters and the divi-
sion of the spols of patronage and con-
tracts.
Will Mr.. McAdoo assure the country
that he is not laying the foundation for
a Government-ownership campaign in
two years? His statement as it stands
says too much or too little.