The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-20

sation accorded to our railroads.
~ fair return should be paid. but,
in time OF war. the highest possible
profit ought not To- aae paid the rail-
.sssssea.ssa ,lssaa&
fof $50 sEel mon tf4~~~isasif whose SAL n
ing capacity in the past three years
I has been Infinitely greater than that
sum. We do not stop TO inquire how
much these human beings have earn
4 ed IN the past three years. We say
70 them your country dema nis you.
You must. If necessary. die. and your
country considers not Mt all your
earning capacity OF the past, nor your
possibilities of the future
One other objection which The GEN.
ator voiced was.
I object 10 the eighteen month pc
riod Of control after the war as sub
stantially establishing at this time a
policy of return Of the roads and as
substantially preciudlng the policy OF
government ownership"
Senator Johnson said that once the
railroads we're regarded as a private
property without regard to the rights
OF others, but "a few began to see
the light and to insist that public
highway maintained by the sufferance
OF thes public and trayersing the pub
lie domain by virtue OF the public *
. PSF ftlsSHAt4t NAS AI4 IL FSSNAft.Ts 4AA 80 a
public use"
He continued:
The words government ownership
apparently have slngularly chilling
effect. a perfect paralysis of fear Is
engendered by the very suggestion
and this seems so. even though the
logic of events points but one way
and the aston OF the government In
taking possession of the roads can
mean but one thing.
Ever since we have had the rail-
road problem have heard our learned
! conservative brethren tell OF private
initiative, individual ability, and the
necessity for each in the management
OF railroads. and how this private ahil-
I !ty and individual initiative alone
could efficiently manage the railroads
1 OF the nation have heard ~his-
pered with horror the enormHy OF
government management, OF the ca
/ lamity and catastrophe that would be-
fall us, II the government sought in
any fashion to manage the Rrea'
/ transportation systems, /. have beer
told OF the marvellous and the won
drous ability OF men who drew large
salaries rs presidents OF the various
roads. of how they, with an omnis.
cience passing human understanding
with all the dignity and the power
and the ability OF the greatest OF po-
tentatesi successfully presided over
the destinies OF tbs railroads. and out
OF the million tentacles OF transpor-
tation system, wrought efficiency that
staggered the imagination.
Private Ownership Fails
II heard the other day upon this
floor, in eloquent words depicted how
within the grasp OF the humblest was
A too "a
glory of railroad president. I heard
with hated breath and throbbing heart
the evils of government management,
, and how. in government management
efficiency would be lost. ambition
would be chilled, and the very essence
of democratic social economy would
be destroyed. and as listened to the
word pictures which thus entranced
me. closed my eyes and wondered in
what year and in what month were
we hearing of private railroad man
agement, and of the necessity for our
well-being, and our success, and our
prosperity, And then, recalled, as
/ recovered from the hypnotic infiu-
ence OF the orator. that we were in
war; that the nation faced the great
@st crisis in It's history; that Il called
upon it's men and It's Industries for
the best and tho most efficient that
was In them. / remembered that the
nation thought OF marvellous efficiency
of private management OF Its railroads
and turned with pride and with con-
ndence TO its railroad managers and
magnates. and left. with them the
great transportation problems that
confronted us. And then remem-
bersd, when wholly free from the
spell OF the eloquenoe In this chamber,
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