The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-23
Cost of Government Control

tanning under the government con.
troll. the postmaster general has I'm
ally admitted. While the amount Of
money which must be paid out OF
federal Golfers to fulfill the promises
made to the companies by the post
office department when the systems
were taken over by the government
has not been disclosed. Mr.. Burtcson
has acknowledged that "a number 81
these properties are now being o;'er-
ated at considerable loss" That gov
eminent operation Of the telegraph
systems has cost the taxpayers at
least s1.00,000,0O0 was admitted by
inference few days ago by the
/ chairman of the wire control board
| in testifying before the house inter
state commerce committee.
Unfetter Business.
| 1t is encouraging to note that Sec
rotary Redfeld, in addressing the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States recently, reviewed at length
+. the history and operation OF our anti
| trust laws and drew the conclusion
! that, because of the rapid changes in
commercial practices and purposes,
these statutes are out of date. He
| deplored the suspicious attitude of
/! the public toward business and said
/ that the Sherman law or any other
! law designed to prevent the restraint
of trade should not be invoked to
! prevent the promotion of trade by
cooperative methods.
| Let us hope that the same light
will dawn upon other government
authorities and that they will realize
/ that the Sherman law, designed to
prevent the restraint of trade, is, IT.
self, one of the greatest restrainers
of trade, and that it should be re-
pealed.
Let us hope also that congress will
awake to the fact that so long as the
government can not transact its own
business on a businesslike basis 1t
can not hope to conduct private bust
ness with other than disastrous re-
suits, and that what we need most of
all is not government business but
business government.
Solving the Railroad Problem.
| Certainly no more momentous
lquestion is pending before congress
than that involved in the return of
| the railroads, and it must be answer
ed within seven months. In this con-
nection, I desire, incidentally, TO call
your attention to national cam
paign, which has just been launched
! by the railway brotherhoods affiliated
with the Federation of Labor to COM
pei every candidate for national
Office to declare his position on gov
eminent ownership and operation of
the railroads. This movement is the
first definite step which the brother.
hoods have taken to turn the roads
over to themselves, as they have
proposed in their plan for solving"
. the transportation problem.
| The danger of such a scheme for
exerting political coercion does not
lie so much in its chances Of success
as in its principles and practices-in
/. its undemocratic character, and the
possible, far-reaching reactions. 1t is
nothing less than an attempt to i'm
! pose class politics and class legisla-
ton upon the country for the benefit
of less than two per cent. OF the
population and to the decided detri-
ment of the other SO per cent. of the
people It is a vicious form of oil
garchy, and in the direct ratio that
! it succeeds will the fundamental
principles of this republic be unde-
termined. What might be expected
in the way of service under govern
ment ownership has amply been
demonstrated during the period of
government control And the sooner
the American people emphatically
repudiate such un-American prIn-
ciples and practices the less danger
there will be of bolshevism and other
unsound socialistic movements gain
ing ground in the United States.
/ Whatever plan congress evolves for
/ the restoration of the railroads TO
! their rightful owners, there can be
no question about the imperative
necessity for ample provision to re-
habilitate and maintain the credit of
the roads, thereby enabling them to
meet their financial needs in order
! to render adequate public service and
to expand in unison with the bust
ness progress of the country. There
must be assurance to private capital
of a minimum and adequate return;
there must be provided opportunity
for private capital to earn more than
a minimum, SO that the spirit of
enterprise and private initiative may
be preserved and fostered: there must
be simplified and centralized regula-
ton. which VIII free the railroads
from the conflicts and waste OF the
former multiple system OF regula-
ton: there should be community Of
interests between the railroad cor
porations and the government on an
equitable basis of profit-sharfng and
representation in control; there
should be repealed all legislation
compelling uneconomic operation and
preventing consultations and unfit
cations; there should be federal reg
ulation of security issues for the pro-
| lection Of the Investing public: and
there should be federal regulation CT
wages as well as OF rates.