New-York tribune., 1918-12-18
Burlesonisn

3. Burlesonism
: In the category of things which we
generally prefer to be public owned are
highways, post roads, sewers, water
works and postoffices. Other things may
have to be added in the fulress of time
and experience.
AS to whether the telephone and tele-
graph should be added opinions may
nationally differ. But even those who
may have thought that for ultimate and
practical reasons the total means of COM
munication should become monopolv
owned by the government, as the postal
system already is, will perhaps be now
persuaded that the difficulties are two
and insuperable, namely: Burleson and
Burlesonism.
burleson is feudalist in politics and
Junker in technique of administration
Burlesonism is fantastic.
Having seized the telephone and tele-
graph companies under pretence of war
necessity, Burleson now proposes that
government ownership is imperative as
a means of national defence. that II is
AN implied moral obligation under the
:Oonst1tution. and that it is essential r.
:'he welfare and prosperity of the na-
stlon, painless and harmless
burlesonism proposes, most insjd;ous-
.ly, that it will be costless.
ihls costlessness is the part of tho
argument probably that will have tho
greatest impact upon the IMAGINATION of
tine multitude Therefore it deserves
special attention.
Burleson, talking Buresonism, saws
public utilities corporations erpect to
earn between z and per cent on their
capital, whereas the government can en-
;pect to borrow money with which to b,v
them out at Az per cent.
The difference between what Mr.
,Burleson thinks the public utilities corr
;pora'lons eTpect to earn on their capital
and what he thinks the government
would eapect to pay for capital MIGHT be
y as nlgn as 5la per cent a year, which,
plus the economies to be expected from
the consolidated working Of all the lines.
would pay for all the telephone and tele-
graph properties in a few years.
1t is beautiful argument-too beauti-
iul to bear analysis In the first nlace
public utilities companies do not earn 2
20 per cent on their capital. Not even
the great American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company does that. In the sec-
ond place, if the government went in for
business on large scale it could NOT
borrow money at Az per cent 1t has
been paying A u per cent for Liberty
bonds, which were sold not to investors
oat TO patriots. Thirdly, the economies
to be made possible by government oner-
alton have yet to be proved.
The Postoffice Department is not
monument to economy or efficiency. and
that is Mr.. Burleson's own Job.
lhe next largest demonstration of GOV
ernment efficiency is in the railroads and
the case there is that after less than
Year Of Federal operation the GOV
ernnent cannot afford to keen the rau
roads and the owners cannot afford -
take them back
The governments record with nron.r
ties and its general reputation in bns;-
ness are such that no investor wonld
put dollar with it. except that it had
behind it the power to make good its
deficits by taxation. Even then it is the
slowest pay and the worst debtor in the
world.
Mr.. Burleson's record and reputation
aside, any man who came to a bank with
such prospectus as he offers TO the
public, asedswholly upon three expecta-
sions, would be Laughed away; and If a