Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-14
HE TRAINED THE COLT.

Federal management of the rail-
roads has not been a success. Rail-
reading is one of the greatest sciences
in the world too complicated and in
tricate to be managed with skill or
efficiency by political groups which
shift and change. This has been con-
fessed by those persons in power
Things are in a muddle. There are
no differences of opinion as to how
they got into a muddle. AS the months
pass the muddle becomes worse.
No cleverer statement of the rail
road problem has been made than
that by Judge Lovett. in this morn
ing's Journal.
Before the war it was common for
demagogues to tell the people how
they were being robbed by the rail-
roads. Whenever there was a wage
adjustment, wages were increased.
Whenever there was controversy
over freight rates, the rates were de-
creased. The result was that rail-
roads could not make ends meet and
pay for improvements.
When the war came on the govern
ment was given complete control. and
the abest man in the cabinet was
placed in charge. The country knows
with what results. Wages have been
increased They should have been in
creased long ago. OF course. freight
and passenger rates had to be in
creased
Many tens of thousands of employees
have been added to the pay rolls; but
the volume of work accomplished has
been less than before the war!
Howard Elliott. widely known as a /
railroad man. illustrates the situation /
with the following Lincolnesque story: !
Pill Yokim was an excellent fellow, /
who kept a livery stable and set up to
become a great horse expert. One day /
Bill had a colt coming in which he /
was going to break, and a number of |
his friends were invited to witness the
performance. The spectators sat on /
the fence while Bill trained the colt /
1t took him about an hour and a hals |
and when he got through the colt !
was dead.
Bill Y0kim's experience will be re-
peated if we remain passive and per- !
init our politicians or rulers to keep
regulating or training the railroads |
and other forms of public service cor
porations. They will be we'll trained, |
but they will he dead. The railroad |
must either be treated as a function of |
government or as a branch of COM |
ts,g III,
able regulation. There is no middle !
ground 1t is impossible. in the long |
run, TO persuade private capital to in |
vest in the railroads. if politicians and |
government burcaucrats are to eXer- |
else all the functions of ownership and |
management"
Transportation is vitality connected |
with the prosperity of the country. |
While the railroads have made mis-
takes-we may go further and say
they have been guilty OF abuses at |
times in the past--they have created !
in the United States the most effec-
tive, useful and by far the cheapest |
system of land transportation in the
world, 1t is not an aggeration to say
with the late James J. Hill that "in
the past history of this country the
railway. next to the Christian religion
and the public schools, has been the
largest contributing factor in the well
fare and happiness of the people"
The railroad problem Is essentially
a scientific and technical one. which
cannot be solved by politicians or
other outsiders. 1t is for experts to
solve. The interests of the stock
holders and shippers must be safe
guarded, as must the interests of labor
and the public generally.
Under government control, there is
no incentive to efficiency. Every per
son who travels knows that he has to |
put up with a minimum of courtesy |
now, and that in every big station
there is delay and insolence on the
part of the employees such as never |
was thought of before. Every little
whippersnapper regards himself as |
government official"
The morale of the railroad service |
has broken down everywhere except |
in the Pullman service, where it still
remains high. notwithstanding the /
fact that not enough sleepers are car
ried to accommodate the travel.