The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-11-14
A SERIOUS QUESTION.

of the United States with care, have no
doubt noticed that it is document
wherein it's trainers succeeded in express
ing what they wished to say, without
wasting great amount of florid language.
In fixing the powers and duties Of the
President, only about 1926 words were
employed. 1t states the duties and limits
the prerogatives of the President with
clarity and precision, and nowhere does
it state or imply that he, son-in-law Nc
Adoo or any other person has authority
to take the railroads, telegraphs, telc-
phones, expresses or any other property
belonging to individuals or corporations,
when it has been lawfully acquired by
them. Of course it will be admitted that
when the successful prosecution of war
like the present confronts the Comman-
der-in- Chief it may become necessary
for him to exceed his constitutional pow
ers, and take private property from an
individual or a corporation to enhance
the safety of the Nation, but it should at
least be reasonably certain tEat the gov
eminent can manage the property so
taken, better than the owners were
managing it. Besides that, property
should not be taken unless its taking will
contribute to the successful prosecution
of the war. 1t will be difficult to make
the people of Waldo county believe that
taking over numerous little telephone
lines was war necessity. 1t appears to
them to have been an absurdity, and
making Mr.. Burleson of Texas the Dr.
ector-General of that line only makes
the absurdity more absurd. The gov
eminent has taken several hundred
telephone lines, and railroads for which
it has not had the slightest use in con-
Quoting the war. The management of
these has not been improved, no better
service has been given and in many cases
poorer service has resulted. The people
who, really own these properties do not
know when their own is to be restored
to them; they do not know if it is ever
to be restored to them; they do not know
what compensation they are to receive
for the use of their property; and if 1t is
not to be restored to them, there seems
to be no prospect that they will be con-
suited as to the price they are to receive.
This is not square deal. The silence on
the part of the government in regard to
these matters is as profound as that of
Col House of Texas Railroad wages
and freight rates have been increased be-
yond reasonable limits and the govern
ment has bought millions of dollars worth
of locomotives and cars for general use,
and so great have been the expenses, and
to so great an extent have affairs been
generalized and muddled, that the men
who have made their investments in rail-
roads are many of them disguised and
discouraged. After peace is declared the
government must show it's hand. The
people will insist on knowing whether
the government is going to run the rail-
roads permanently and will expect the
presentation of sane and sound reasons
why, if this step toward Socialism is to be
taken. This matter of government own
ership and management tO is really very
serious. Once the precedent is establish
ed that the government, upon the will or
caprice of the President, can take, hold
and manage property which it does not
own, the whole foundation of personal
rights in property is demolished, When
this is done we must stop boasting about
democracy, because we shall have fallen
under the dominion of an autocrat. These
are basic principles, upon which human
progress has depended for hundreds of
years, and the chief of these is, that the
safety of government and the happi-
ness of a people depend upon the in
volatility of private property. When
the right of personal ownership is taken
away labor ceases to strive for it, pro-
aress halts and reversion to incidence be-
gins.